Question

Write an account of canal irrigation in Punjab.

Answer 1

The foundation of Punjab’s agricultural prosperity is canal irrigation, which makes up more than 20% of the state’s total irrigated land. Following are some of the important canals of Punjab.

1. Upper Bari Doab Canal: The Ravi River at Madhopur, close to Pathankot, is the source of this canal. This canal’s construction was finished in 1859, having begun in 1849. In the districts of Gurdaspur and Amritsar, it irrigates roughly 3 lakh hectares.
2. Sirhind Canal: In 1886–1887, this canal was extracted from the Satluj River at Rupnagar (Ropar). Together with its distributaries, the canal is 6,115 km long overall. The Patiala, Punjab Canals Abohar, Bhatinda, Kotla, and Ghaggar are its principal branches. In the districts of Patiala, Sangrur, Bha Tinda, Ludhiana, and Ferozepur, it irrigates roughly 7 lakh hectares. The districts of Hissar and Sirsa in Haryana are also irrigated by the Kotla and Ghaggar branches. The Sirhind Feeder Canal was finished in 1960 to increase the water supply. Near the eighteenth kilometre, close to Malanwala, the canal departs from the Ferozepur feeder. It is 142 km long and provides water to the Sirhind Canal’s Abohar branch. This water is taken from the Satluj and Beas rivers, which Pakistan previously did not use. Additionally, it supplies irrigation to various areas of Rajasthan and the Punjabi districts of Ferozepur, Faridkot, and Muktsar.
3. Bhakra Canal: The Bhakra dam, which was constructed over the Satluj River, provides the water for it. 1954 saw its completion. Approximately 15 lakh hectares of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan are irrigated by it. This canal benefits the districts of Ludhiana, Patiala, Nabha, Sangrur, Jalandhar, and Ferozepur in Punjab.
4. Bist Doab Canal: The Bhakra-Nagal Project includes it. Together with its distributaries, this canal is 1,090 km long overall. In the districts of Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur, it irrigates roughly 4 lakh hectares. Other projects like Bikaner and Beas supply irrigation to portions of Punjab as well as the nearby regions of Rajasthan and Haryana.