Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal on Tuesday announced two canal irrigation projects worth ₹100.65 crore to provide assured irrigation to more than 90,000 acres of agricultural land and reduce farmers' dependence on groundwater.
Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan, Goyal said the Bhagwant Mann-led government was focusing on strengthening the canal network to ensure reliable water supply to farmers.
“The farmers of Punjab have been feeding the nation for decades. Our responsibility is to ensure that they receive assured water for their fields,” Goyal said.
The two projects include a ₹64.11-crore concrete lining project for the 1-R Distributary System and a ₹36.54-crore Kapuri Lift Irrigation Scheme.
The 1-R Distributary project will increase the channel's carrying capacity from 154.50 cusecs to 248.69 cusecs and benefit around 80 villages across Fatehgarh Sahib and Patiala districts, covering 69,967 acres. The government has allocated ₹40 crore for the project during the current financial year.
The minister said concrete lining would prevent leakage and seepage, reduce water losses and improve irrigation supply through the approximately 60-year-old distributary.
Meanwhile, the Kapuri Lift Irrigation Scheme will provide canal-water irrigation to 20,719 acres across 20 villages in Patiala district along the Haryana border. These villages have historically depended on groundwater due to the absence of canal irrigation facilities.
The scheme will supply water directly to agricultural fields through distribution pipelines. Around ₹4 crore has been proposed for its first phase during the current financial year.
Goyal said the government had increased the water allowance of the Bhakra Main Line system from 2.04 to 3.05 cusecs per 1,000 acres to improve utilisation of canal water and address groundwater depletion.
Highlighting the government's investment in irrigation infrastructure, he said approximately ₹7,500 crore had been invested in strengthening Punjab's canal network. Around 14,000 kilometres of watercourses have been constructed and pipelines laid, while more than 19,000 watercourses have been restored.
The minister said expanding canal irrigation would reduce dependence on tubewells, conserve groundwater and support sustainable agriculture in Punjab.
