Kathgarh (Punjab), March 19 Punjab Cabinet minister Barinder Kumar Goyal inaugurated the Kathgarh Lift Irrigation scheme here on Thursday and said it will ensure irrigation for the dry and rain-fed lands of the Kandi region.
The project will provide irrigation facilities to nearly 11,500 acres of land across 33 villages, paving the way for enhanced agricultural productivity and increased farmer income, said the water resources minister.
Addressing a gathering after the inauguration, Goyal stated, "The Kathgarh Lift Irrigation scheme will serve as a milestone in extending irrigation to areas that remained deprived due to elevation challenges through the Kandi Canal and Bist Doab systems. The project will significantly reduce dependence on groundwater and bring long-term benefits to the region."
Providing details of the project, he said it is being executed in three phases.
"The first phase covering 4,000 acres in 13 villages has already been completed in February 2026 at a cost of Rs 67 crore. The second phase, costing Rs 107 crore, will cover 5,500 acres in 14 villages and is expected to be completed by September 2026, while the third phase, with an outlay of Rs 40 crore, will extend irrigation to 2,000 acres in 6 villages.
A 650 kW solar plant has also been installed to minimise electricity burden, he also said.
The scheme connects to the Bist Doab canal with a discharge capacity of 67 cusecs, and water will be lifted through pumps and supplied via an extensive pipeline network to high, low and semi-hilly agricultural fields.
He added that no land acquisition was required as existing departmental land was utilised for the pump house.
Emphasising the significance of the project, the minister further said, "Due to deep groundwater levels and failure of tube wells, farmers in the Kandi area were heavily dependent on rainfall, which limited crop diversification and productivity.
Being a semi-hilly terrain, conventional canal systems were not feasible earlier, which also kept land prices low. Advanced satellite and drone surveys were conducted, and technical staff were trained at IIT Roorkee and IIT Ropar to design the project, which was executed in a mission mode within six months."
"Before this project, irrigation was available in 28,205 acres across 72 villages in Balachaur constituency. With the completion of this scheme, irrigation coverage will expand to 39,705 acres across 105 villages. Around 94,000 kilometres of pipelines have been laid to ensure water reaches the fields efficiently," he added.
About the Kandi canal, the minister said that it originates from Talwara and extends up to Balachaur with a total length of 129.035 km and a discharge capacity of 463 cusecs.
Despite being initiated in 1980, water had not reached the tail-end areas earlier.
The AAP government ensured continuous water flow, restored 1,500 km of old pipelines, laid 300 km of new pipelines and relined 120 km of canals and watercourses, thereby benefiting 1,28,740 acres of land across 12 blocks after three decades.