Chandigarh, March 18 Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Wednesday that his government has achieved a turnaround in the irrigation sector over the past four years by increasing canal water irrigation from 26.50 per cent to 78 per cent of farm land, spending Rs 6,700 crore on canal lining and strengthening related infrastructure, and establishing new water courses.
He also spoke about reviving the 22-km Sarhali canal in Tarn Taran, which had disappeared due to the negligence of previous governments, ensuring round-the-clock water supply through the Ferozepur-Sirhind feeder, and canal water reaching 1,446 villages for the first time since Independence.
He also said that with his government's efforts to maximize the utilization of canal water, the level of underground water has risen in many places.
Addressing the media here, Mann provided a comprehensive account of his government's work in the irrigation sector over the past four years.
He said that Rs 6,700 crore has been spent on canal lining, repair, modernization, and strengthening of infrastructure from April 2022 to the present, which is the highest ever in Punjab's history.
Punjab has a total canal irrigation potential of around 75.90 lakh acres, but until March 2022, only 20.89 lakh acres, which was merely 26.5 per cent, were actually receiving canal water.
"Today, we have increased this coverage to nearly 58 lakh acres, taking utilization to around 78 per cent. This is almost three times the earlier figure," Mann stated, adding that the state government has ensured the maximum utilization of canal water available in the state.
Detailing the scale of work undertaken on the ground, he said, "We have spent around Rs 2,000 crore to construct and restore nearly 13,000 km of canals, due to which canal water is now reaching 58 lakh acres. Along with this, around 7,000 water channels have been restored."
He further said, "A total of 15,539 canals have been cleaned and 18,349 watercourses have been revived, ensuring that even tail-end agricultural fields now receive canal water. For the first time in Punjab's history, 101 abandoned canals spanning 545 km have been revived. Many of these canals had been closed for 30 to 40 years and even filled up with soil. We restored them without acquiring even a single inch of land."
"By restoring old canal systems, we have ensured that an additional 10,000 cusecs of water is now reaching fields, which is equal to the Bhakra canal," he said.
The 22-km-long Sarhali Minor canal had completely disappeared due to the negligence of previous governments.
When our engineers began work, they discovered the canal was buried underground. Even local people had forgotten about its existence. Today, we have revived it and made it fully operational," he said.
Addressing a long-standing issue faced by farmers, Mann said, "Earlier, water in canals used to be supplied on a rotational basis, forcing farmers to wait for their turn. For the first time, we have ended this system and ensured that farmers get water every day."
He further highlighted that the government even ran canals in the reverse direction towards Harike Pattan when required to ensure equitable distribution of water.
He also said that the Kandi canal in Hoshiarpur, which had remained non-functional for nearly 40 years, has now been revived.
Due to the expansion of canal infrastructure, around 1,400 villages are now receiving canal water for the first time since Independence. Many of these villages had not seen canal water for 20 to 50 years, he also said.
On infrastructure expansion, Mann stated, "We have constructed 8 new canals and made 18 pump systems operational to strengthen irrigation coverage in multiple districts."
On groundwater conservation, Mann said, "Our efforts have significantly reduced dependence on groundwater. In one village in Gurdaspur, groundwater extraction has come down from 61.48 per cent to around 31 per cent, which is a remarkable achievement. This will benefit future generations."
He added that the government aims to further increase the utilization of surface water and reduce stress on groundwater resources.
On disaster management and environmental restoration, he said, "Rs 477 crore has been utilized from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund for 195 works aimed at flood prevention and water management. We have identified 199 desilting sites and deployed new chain-mounted machines to clean drains on a war footing."