Irrigation Dept strives to increase area under canal system, over 100 channels restored

Manmeet Singh Gill

Amritsar, May 4

After decades of neglect, the Irrigation Department has woken up from slumber and started making efforts to increase the area under the canal irrigation system. In times when the state is staring at an acute water crisis due to the depletion of water table to an alarming level, the efforts of the department to restore canal irrigation channels are being well received by all sections of society.

Officials of the department have stated that Chief Secretary Krishan Kumar is personally monitoring the revival of the canal irrigation system and has assigned duties to the employees in this regard.

Though the department initially witnessed resistance from different sections, mainly farmers and environmentalists, the Irrigation Department has managed to overcome the hurdles and has restored over 500 irrigation channels in the areas fed by the Uppar Bar Doab Canal (UBDC). With this, thousands of acres of land would now be irrigated with canal water.

Efforts are being made to increase the area under canal irrigation to minimise the use of groundwater for irrigation. With the paddy transplantation season here, the department is making every effort to restore the irrigation channels.

However, initially, the department had faced resistance from the farmers who had encroached upon the area used from irrigation channels. Apart from restoring irrigation channels, the department is also making efforts for the concrete lining of canal minors.

A section of the environmentalists had also opposed the concrete lining of the canals and canal minors reasoning that it would adversely affect the flora and fauna flourishing on the banks of these water bodies.

Superintending Engineer (UBDC) Kulwinder Singh said, “We are leaving the floor of the canal minors with the capacity to carry more than 50 cusecs of water ‘kuccha’. Only the canal minors with less capacity are being made cup shaped.”