Faridkot residents miffed over concrete relining of twin canals

Faridkot-based AAP leaders are facing public ire over the concrete lining of the Indira Gandhi and Sirhind Feeder canals, which run parallel in the district. The relining is set to commence in the coming days.

In March 2023, the Water Resources Department had put on hold the relining of 10 km of 167 km-long Indira Gandhi Canal after a massive protest by the residents of Faridkot city and adjoining villages.

Protesting under the banner of the Jal Jeevan Bachao Morcha, the residents said concrete lining would destroy green cover and rich biodiversity existing along the canals. “The concrete lining will affect groundwater table and impact agriculture, besides creating drinking water crisis in the area,” the protesters said, adding that more than 20,000 trees would dry due to lack of water.

“Under the relining project, a 10-mm polythene sheet with cement, mortar and brick-tile is being used to cut water seepage. This will leave the groundwater in the area unfit for human consumption,” said the protesters.

However, Faridkot MLA Gurdit Singh Sekhon said the work of relining the canals, which had stopped in the 10 km area of Faridkot, was redesigned by the Water Resources Department and the work would be done as per the demand of the people. The MLA claimed that the Water Resources Department had prepared a new design for the relining of 10 km of the canals, adjacent to Faridkot city.

Under the redesigned plan, 10 boulder blocks of one square metre would be left after every 10 metres of canal concrete lining, thus leaving a lot of scope for seepage of water. Rocks and stones would be placed in these one-square metre boulder blocks so that the canal water continues to recharge the groundwater, said Sekhon.

However, the protesters defied these claims of the MLA. A delegation of representatives of various social and farmers’ organisations today met the Deputy Commissioner, claiming that the new design would not solve the drinking water problem in the area in absence of recharging of groundwater sources in the area.

The protesters said earlier the Faridkot MLA claimed that the state government had agreed to his proposal regarding doing brick lining instead of concrete, so that seepage of water continues and residents do not face any difficulty in sourcing potable water.

A tripartite agreement for remodelling-cum-relining of these canals was signed by the Union Ministry of Water Resources and the Rajasthan and Punjab governments on January 23, 2019.