Punjab approves canal projects worth Rs 100 crore, 90,000 acres to get water

Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal on Tuesday announced two major canal projects worth Rs 100.65 crore. The initiative aims to provide canal water to over 90,000 acres of agricultural land in the state.

Speaking to reporters at Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh, the Cabinet minister said that the 1-R distributary will be lined at a cost of Rs 64.11 crore. The repair of this nearly 60-year-old distributary will provide irrigation facilities to 69,967 acres of land across about 80 villages in Fatehgarh Sahib and Patiala districts.

According to Barinder Kumar Goyal, the capacity of this distributary will be increased from 154.50 cusecs to 248.69 cusecs. Rs 40 crore has been allocated for this project during the current financial year. He stated that the water allowance from the Bhakra Main Line has been increased from 2.04 to 3.05 cusecs per thousand acres, making it necessary to increase the capacity of the canals.

Additionally, the Kapuri Lift Irrigation Scheme is being launched in Patiala district at a cost of Rs 36.54 crore. For the first time, canal water will reach 20,719 acres of land across 20 villages bordering Haryana, where farmers were hitherto dependent solely on groundwater. Under this scheme, water will be lifted through pipelines and delivered to the fields.

The minister stated that the government has already spent nearly Rs 7,500 crore to strengthen the canal infrastructure. During this period, more than 14,000 kilometers of watercourses have been lined and pipelines laid, while over 19,000 watercourses have been restored.

He said that reaching canal water to the tail-ends will save groundwater and also reduce the burden of power subsidies on agricultural tubewells. As Punjab contributes about 48 percent of wheat and 21 percent of paddy to the central pool of the country, conserving groundwater is of utmost importance.

Key developments

• Punjab government announced two canal irrigation projects worth Rs 100.65 crore
• Rs 64.11 crore will be spent on lining the 1-R distributary
• Kapuri Lift Irrigation Scheme will provide canal water to 20 villages in Patiala for the first time
• A total of over 90,000 acres of agricultural land will get better irrigation facilities