Revived Canal Irrigation, Saved Govt Money and Happy Farmers

Last Updated: 4 Oct 2024

Canal Water reaching 1st time since Independence

-- 94 villages received Canal Water for the 1st time[1]
-- 49 villages got water after a span of 35-40 years[1:1]
-- Water has flowed through 20 canals for 1st time in 4 decades, revitalizing 916 minors and water courses[2]

Target (Phase 2) ACHIEVED[3]

IMPACT: Canal water Irrigation usage reached 84%(Aug 2024) from 21%(Mar 2022) i.e. 4x Jump in only 2.5 years[4]
=> This will lead to closing of lakhs tubewells out of total 14 lakh[3:1]
=> i.e. saving of ground water and saving of Electricity Subsidy for these lakhs tubewells

i.e. ~₹5000+ crores subsidy expected to be SAVED every year*

March 2022 Status (When AAP formed Govt)

-- Punjab was using only 33%-34% of its canal water[3:2]
-- In Punjab, only 21 percent of irrigation was done with canal water[5]
-- Total 14 lakh tube-wells pumping ground water out[3:3]
-- Irrigation systems lying closed for nearly 30 years in the Majha region[5:1]
-- Total 15741 channels were ploughed due to non-usage across Punjab[5:2]

FARMERS Feedback: Visibly Happy farmers as Canal Water is reaching fields after 4 decades[6][7]
-- Canal water better for crops than Tubewells
-- AajTak Report on Viral videos of happy farmers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0qqQNmaKSU

*28% of total farm electricity subsidy i.e. ₹9000+ crores[8]

New Law for water resources[9]

  • New Bill 'Punjab Canals & Drainage Bill-2023' passed in Punjab assembly on 29 Nov 2023 to replace over the 150-year-old Act
  • This will simplify the process, reduce litigation, improve public participation and enable implementation of projects expeditiously

Implementation

1. Construction of New canals/Sub-canals

New canal for 3 districts in southern Malwa[10]

New Sub-Canals for 4 Assembly constituencies in Sangrur LS[11]

  • A big relief for farmers of 70 villages who didn’t have access to canal water
  • The affected villages fall under 4 Assembly segments, including Malerkotla, Amargarh, Dhuri and Mehal Kalan
  • The tendering process of these new canals named Rohida, Kanganwal and Kotla has been completed

2. Kandi canal project[9:1]

-- Was pending for 16 years, has been restored up to 90%
-- The canal was run at over 90% capacity for the 1st time

3. Treated water irrigation projects

Target: 50,000 Acres of agri-land to be irrigated with 600 MLD treated water by May 2024

Feb 2023: Currently state is at present utilizing 340 MLD for irrigation from 60 treated water irrigation projects & STPs[12]

Punjab won prestigious National Water Mission Award for use of treated water in agriculture[12:1]

  • Dec 2023: Foundation stone of Punjab's largest treated water irrigation project in Moga for 2500 acres land and ~25 km of underground pipeline[13]
  • 58 more projects in progress for treated water irrigation to benefit 25,000+ acres of agricultural land[13:1]
  • 87 more STPs planned for irrigation projects as DPR already ready, which will be initiated during coming months[12:2]

4. Restoration of Abandoned canals & Upgradation of existing canals

400 kms of Canals were restored out of canals which were abandoned from past many years and more in progress[14]

1000 kilometres of canal were concrete-lined for 1st time[14:1]

  • More than 40 canals have been converted from non-perennial to perennial
  • Concrete lining of the canal minors with less capacity and being made cup shaped[15]

Concrete lining of Khanna distributary[16]

  • Will increase capacity from 175 cusecs to 251.34 cusecs
  • This entire system will be concrete lined in a length of ~97.48 km, at cost of Rs 83.65 crores
  • So that water does not go waste and full water can reach

Relining project of Longowal canal[11:1]

  • The department is working on Rs 32.68 crore relining project of Longowal canal

5. Canal courses restoration in progress[5:3]

15914 channels, measuring 4200 Km in length, have been restored[1:2]
-- These were lying idle for the last more than 30 years[14:2]

With restoration of just 500 irrigation channels, 1000s of acres became irrigable[15:1]

  • All Non-Government water courses have been notified and made Government so as to ensure supply of canal water to all shareholders[17]
  • More than 40 canals have been converted from non-perennial to perennial(permanent)[17:1]
    -- Now water will be available throughout the year in these canals for the first time ever

System Reforms to restore the water courses[18]

  • Water courses were given government status instead of community water courses
  • Abolished the condition of repairing the water courses only after 25 years
  • Rivers/Rivulets/Drains/Minors are being notified for the first time, that will enable the government to identify the same and remove encroachments[9:2]
  • Was waived off 10% share being levied on farmers for repairing of water courses[9:3]

Results

Year Total Water courses Closed
March 2022 47000 15741 (abandoned from 20 to 30 years)
Feb 2024 47000 1641 (14100 restored)[14:3]
Aug 2024 47000 ? (15,914 restored)[2:1]

The canal water disputes at its lowest ever

  • 5016 cases were solved by the department
  • Only 1563 cases are pending

6. Restored Punjab's share from Haryana

The State of Haryana through BBMB has been instructed to ensure release of 400 cusecs Punjab Canal water for Sardulgarh Area in Distt. Mansa

7. New Underground pipeline system for irrigation[2:2]

2,400 km of underground pipelines laid, which is benefiting ~75000 acres in the state

Kickstarted 2 more projects benefiting ~100,000 acres to expand underground pipeline irrigation networks, worth Rs. 277.57 crore[2:3]

  • 100% subsidy for projects[19]
  • Implementation on priority in each constituency[20]

8. Innovative projects like Lift irrigation, small check-dams, utilization of pond water for irrigation[20:1]

Lift irrigation[21]

Canal irrigation in semi-hilly areas

  • Two new Lift Irrigation Schemes (1,536 acre) have been implemented
  • Work for constructing 12 new lift schemes (16,500 acres) has already been started
  • Solar-Lift Irrigation projects have been initiated in 125 villages to utilize pond water for irrigation, reducing reliance on groundwater[2:4]

Check Dams

  • 160 check dams on Punjab rivulets to control groundwater depletion[22][2:5]
  • 300 check dams project specially for Kandi area of Punjab[18:1]

9. Micro irrigation (drip & sprinkler) systems being subsidised[2:6]

~15,000 acres have been brought under drip and sprinkler irrigation systems

  • Punjab Govt encouraging such modern systems

10. Escapes to avoid canal flooding

  • In order to save the farmers during breach of Canals, more than 100 escapes are being constructed

Visibly Happy farmers[7:1]

-- After 40 years, canal water reaches tail end of longest channel in Sangrur district
-- Farmers celebrate with sweets, watch video[7:2]
-- Canal Water is better even for crop, especially where underground water is salty or poor quality

Aaj Tak news report

Covering dream come true viral videos of canal water reaching fields after decades & farmers thanking CM Bhagwant Mann

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0qqQNmaKSU

References

  1. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=192201 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  2. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=189057 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  3. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=166744 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  4. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/water-for-irrigation-quadrupled-in-2-5-yrs/articleshow/113612896.cms ↩︎

  5. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=167290 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  6. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/after-four-decades-irrigation-water-reaches-janasar-village-in-fazilka-586155 ↩︎

  7. https://punjab.news18.com/news/sangrur/water-reach-at-the-tails-of-canal-with-the-initiative-of-mann-government-hdb-local18-435486.html ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  8. https://energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/power/punjab-paid-back-entire-rs-20200-cr-electricity-subsidy-for-fy-22-23-bhagwant-mann/99329319 ↩︎

  9. https://yespunjab.com/punjab-canals-drainage-bill-2023-to-ensure-uninterrupted-canal-water-supply-for-farmers-jauramajra/ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  10. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/mann-govt-likely-to-announce-new-canal-for-malwa-in-budget-595228 ↩︎

  11. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/tendering-process-for-three-canals-completed-in-4-assembly-segments-551029 ↩︎ ↩︎

  12. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=179457 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  13. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=175948 ↩︎ ↩︎

  14. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/restoration-of-79-abandoned-canals-on-majority-of-these-encroached-upon-543123 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  15. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/amritsar/irrigation-dept-strives-to-increase-area-under-canal-system-over-100-channels-restored-504951 ↩︎ ↩︎

  16. https://www.babushahi.com/view-news.php?id=170871 ↩︎

  17. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/fazilkas-century-old-eastern-canal-system-turns-perennial-556238 ↩︎ ↩︎

  18. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/dream-come-true-farmers-of-punjab-get-canal-water-after-decades-water-resources-minister-522449 ↩︎ ↩︎

  19. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/subsidy-being-provided-for-irrigation-dr-inderbir-singh-nijjar-487412 ↩︎

  20. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=157819 ↩︎ ↩︎

  21. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/rs-100-crore-lift-irrigation-scheme-for-changar-area-459976 ↩︎

  22. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/140-check-dams-on-rivulets-to-control-groundwater-depletion-481326 ↩︎