DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

In a concerted effort to fulfill the commitment of ensuring canal water to irrigate every field, the Punjab Government, led by Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann, has touched new frontiers for reaching canal water to the fields and watershed management initiatives, including rehabilitation of derelict canals, distributaries and minors to optimize water conveyance and distribution.

Elaborating on these hydrological interventions, Punjab Water Resources Minister S. Chetan Singh Jouramajra revealed that through the department's rigorous efforts last year, water reached approximately 900 locations for the first time, some of which had been parched for 35-40 years.

The Cabinet Minister said, "Continuing our mission of sustainable water management, we have already restored flow to 114 locations this year. Notably, 13 areas have received water after a 40-year hiatus, two areas after 35 years, five areas after 25 years and about 50 locations have seen water after 18 years." These locations are in the districts of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, SBS Nagar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana, Patiala, Amritsar, SAS Nagar, Hoshiarpur, Moga, Gurdaspur, Ropar, Sangrur and Malerkotla.

In addition to this, continuing the previous year's drive for restoration of water courses, the Water Resources Department has also restored around 1,573 water courses this year.

Underlining significant achievements in irrigation infrastructure, S. Chetan Singh Jouramajra said that despite being conceived two decades ago, the Kandi Canal project failed to deliver water to farmers. However, under Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann's leadership, the Water Resources Department has undertaken an extensive rehabilitation drive to restore the Kandi Canal network. As a result, water has finally flowed through the Kandi Canal after an 18-year dry spell.

It is pertinent to mention here that while last year's restored water courses were on government lands, this year the water courses flowing through private land have also been restored with mutual understanding of the farmers. This work was previously considered impossible by the department and no efforts were being made in this regard, he added.

The Cabinet Minister also said that this revitalization of the irrigation network underscored the Mann government's commitment to efficient water resource management and equitable distribution, promising a boost to agricultural productivity across the region.
(editor@dailyworld.in)