Malwa canal: 1st ever New canal after Independence being constructed in Punjab

Last Updated: 4 Oct 2024

1st ever New Canal in the post-Independence era[1]

149.53 km long Malwa canal project will cater to the irrigational needs of ~2 lakh acres[1:1]

Loss of Water Share: Currently Punjab gets only 68% of its allowance from the Bhakra dam[2]
-- Rajasthan gets about 125% and Haryana 110-115%
-- Malwa Canal will help in removing this anomaly and creating a balance

Benefits[2:1]

Even 190 villages in the entire Ferozepur Feeder area will start receiving water continuously

  • Rotation of canals will no longer be needed
  • Will ramp up irrigation facility in 4 districts of southern Malwa — Fazilka, Muktsar Sahib, Bathinda and Faridkot
  • Ferozepur(28 villages), Faridkot(10 villages), and Muktsar (24 villages) districts are projected to benefit

Details[1:2]

  • The canal will be 149.53km long, 50 feet wide and 12.6 feet deep
  • More than 2,000 cusec water will flow in the Malwa canal
  • Will originate at the Harike Headworks on the Sutlej river in Ferozepur district
  • The proposed canal, which will tail off at Warring Khera village in Muktsar district close to the border with Haryana[2:2]
  • Will flow parallel to the Sirhind Feeder and Rajasthan Feeder canals, to the latter’s east[2:3]
  • The canal is proposed to be constructed on the unutilised land of Rajasthan on the left side of the Rajasthan feeder
  • 5 March 2024: Project was announced during Budget 2024-25 by FM Harpal Cheema

Historical[1:3]

More than 300 lift pumps operate on the Sirhind Feeder between Faridkot and Muktsar, irrigating the area on the other bank of the Rajasthan Feeder[2:4]

  • Rajasthan feeder, has a capacity of 18,000 cusec and no one in Punjab can touch it because of the agreements signed during Nehru’s tenure (former PM Jawahar Lal Nehru)
  • Sirhind feeder canal belongs to Punjab and 5000 cusec water flows in it

REFERENCES:

  1. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/malwa-canal-to-irrigate-2-lakh-acres-in-southern-punjab-mann-101722101543329.html ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  2. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/in-water-starved-punjab-plans-for-a-new-irrigation-canal-raise-several-concerns-9499220/lite/ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎