• UGI USER
  • Aug 07, 2024
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“PUNJAB’S PROPOSED MALWA CANAL FACES FUNDING AND VIABILITY ISSUES”

Why in the news?

Punjab plans a 149.53-km irrigation canal to address water shortages, costing Rs 2,300 crore, despite facing severe funding challenges and technical viability concerns raised by experts.

source:wordpress

About Proposed Malwa Canal Project:

  • Punjab plans to build a 53-km canal named after the Malwa region.
  • The canal will start at Harike Headworks on the Sutlej river in Ferozepur district.
  • It will run parallel to Sirhind and Rajasthan Feeder canals, ending at Warring Khera village in Muktsar district.
  • Expected to take five years to build and cost Rs 2,300 crore.
  • Projected to irrigate 2 lakh acres in seven districts.

Need and Benefits

  • Aims to provide additional water to areas left out by the Rajasthan Feeder canal.
  • Especially needed during the kharif paddy sowing season.
  • More water availability for Abohar area, benefiting Muktsar, Gidderbaha, Bathinda, and Zira.
  • Expected to benefit around 190 villages by providing continuous water supply.
About the Indira Gandhi Canal:

  • Longest Canal in India: Indira Gandhi Canal, approximately 650 km long.
  • States Covered: Flows across Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
  • Irrigation Project: World’s largest irrigation project for semi-arid and arid areas of Rajasthan.
  • Starting Point: Begins at Harike Barrage in Punjab, below the confluence of the Satluj and Beas rivers.
  • End Point: Provides irrigation in the Thar Desert, northwest Rajasthan.
  • Renaming: Originally Rajasthan Canal, renamed Indira Gandhi Canal on 2 November 1984 after PM Indira Gandhi’s assassination.
  • States Covered: Flows across Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
  • Irrigation Reach: Provides irrigation to semi-arid and arid areas of Rajasthan.
  • Project Scale: Indira Gandhi Canal Project is the largest irrigation project in the world.
  • Purpose: Aims to support agriculture in water-scarce regions.