Chandigarh: Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal on Tuesday said that adequate canal water is being supplied to the tail-end areas of the Malukpur, Panjawa and Lambi distributary systems in the Abohar and Balluana Assembly constituencies in accordance with the carrying capacity of the canal network.
Replying to a question raised by Abohar MLA Sandeep Jakhar in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, the Water Resources Minister said that the claim regarding a general shortage of canal water at the tail ends of these distributary systems was not correct. He said that tail-gauge data recorded during the paddy season confirmed that the tails were running at near-full authorised discharge.
Goyal said that the Malukpur, Panjawa and Lambi distributary systems receive water through the Sirhind Feeder, which in turn is supplied through the Ferozepur Feeder. The flow in the Ferozepur Feeder is dependent on water availability at Harike Pattan.
Highlighting the Punjab Government’s efforts to strengthen the canal network, the Cabinet Minister said that the carrying capacity of the Ferozepur Feeder has been enhanced from 11,192 cusecs during the 2017-22 period to 13,873 cusecs during the Mann government’s tenure. The capacity has been increased by 2,681 cusecs (around 24%), resulting in a substantial improvement in the availability of canal water for the region.
He said that the Ferozepur Feeder, constructed during 1954-55, had not undergone major capacity augmentation for decades. Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government undertook extensive works to strengthen and concrete the canal while increasing its width and depth, thereby enhancing its carrying capacity by 2,681 cusecs. Similarly, Goyal said that the carrying capacity of the Sirhind Feeder has been enhanced from 4,703 cusecs to 7,000 cusecs, adding 2,297 cusecs (around 24%) to its capacity.
The Water Resources Minister said that earlier, water was lifted through pumping stations from the Sirhind Feeder for supply to the Abohar and Fazilka regions, which often resulted in water shortages. Following the enhancement of the canal network’s capacity, water is now being supplied continuously without the earlier rotational system.
He said that the Punjab Government has significantly augmented the carrying capacity of the existing canal network across the state. While the canal system has a designed capacity of around 36,000 cusecs, nearly 39,000 cusecs of water is presently flowing through Punjab’s canals, including through the freeboard area.
Goyal further informed the House that the Punjab Government has enhanced the carrying capacity of the existing canal network across the state by nearly 12,000 to 13,000 cusecs, which is equivalent to the carrying capacity of a major canal such as the Bhakra Main Line Canal. He said that this significant augmentation of the existing canal infrastructure has enabled the state to supply additional canal water to agricultural areas without constructing an entirely new canal system.
Goyal said that the increased availability of canal water has provided major relief to farmers during the prevailing dry spell and has helped meet irrigation requirements across the state. He added that the Punjab Government’s sustained efforts to ensure water supply up to the tail ends have played a crucial role in supporting the paddy crop during a period of inadequate rainfall.
The Cabinet Minister said that canal water has reached several tail-end villages in the Abohar and Khuiyan Sarwar blocks for the first time in the past decade. Villages including Kikkar Khera, Gumjal, Jhummian Wali and Tutwala had remained without canal water at their tail ends throughout the irrigation season before 2022.
He further said that the Punjab Government has not only improved the supply of water through canals but has also strengthened the last-mile irrigation network. Around 200 watercourses, including pipelines and field channels, have been developed in the Abohar area to facilitate the delivery of canal water to agricultural fields.
Responding to the supplementary question, Goyal said that the department maintains date-wise tail-gauge records and that the data is available for verification. He said that the tail ends of the concerned distributary systems have received water as per the authorised discharge and in certain instances the recorded supply was higher than the prescribed discharge.
The Water Resources Minister said that the Punjab Government is committed to ensuring equitable distribution of canal water and extending reliable irrigation facilities to farmers in every region of the state, particularly in areas that had remained deprived of canal water for decades.
