The Punjab Canal and Drainage Act, 2023
The Government of Punjab on December 27, 2023, notified the Punjab Canal and Drainage Act, 2023. The following has been stated: Section 2 talks about various definitions like “canal” “culturable command
Canal Irrigation
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Sorry, no additional water, Punjab to Rajasthan
The Punjab government has rejected the Rajasthan government's demand to supply 20,000 cusecs of canal water over and above the existing use of the water for irrigation purpose through the Rajasthan feeder being made by it. Sources said Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje had written to Parkash Singh Badal for additional supply of canal water during February and March for the rabi crop. Even the Rajasthan Irrigation Department had contacted the Punjab government in this regard. However, the sources said the Punjab government had decided to write back to the Rajasthan government that it could not spare additional water. Punjab, in fact, itself was facing problem to meet its irrigation requirements through canal water in absence of adequate rainfall in the region during this winter. Except light rainfall near the Shivalik foothills, there was no rainfall in the countryside. More over, the level of water is also low in the various dams. During the summer availability of water from the dams for irrigation would be less this year. Keeping in view these circumstances, the state government had decided to refuse the additional water. Rajasthan had been alleging for the past several years that Punjab had been using its unutilised share and it should be compensated for that. However, Punjab had been saying that the flow of water in the rivers had come down by 3 MAF over the years. Even the BBMB and the Central Water Commission (CWC) was aware of this fact. Meanwhile, the Punjab government had also decided to oppose the second barrage on the Ravi-Beas waters. Sources said the state government would seek the CWC report prepared with regard to the leakage of water to Pakistan from the river water systems. There were reports that the CWC had found that there was no such huge leakage of water from the river systems to Pakistan. Hence there was no need to construct the second barrage. Moreover, Punjab had not been taken into confidence before taking a decision regarding the barrage by the Union government. As Punjab was a host riparian state, the Union government could not execute any barrage like project without its consent. The sources said the Haryana government had given a concept paper to the CWC for constructing the barrage.
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Malwa region agriculturists rue dry canals
Dry irrigation canals in the Malwa heartland of Punjab have made agriculturists weep. Most of the canals and tributaries in the area have been lying dry and causing drinking water crisis for the past two months, farmers cry. The farmers also lament that they are forced to buy drinking water as the filtration tanks are almost dry. Karnail Singh of Jajjal village said: "It is unfortunate that residents of this area in Punjab, known as the land of five major rivers of the country, are now quenching their thirst by buying water from neighbouring Haryana.' Another resident of the area Gurmail Singh said a tractor owner of Takhatmal village was selling 5,000 litres tank of water to them for Rs 450. The farmers cry that their crops will be affected in case steps are not taken to immediately release water in the canals. The canal water is the main source of drinking water in many of the villages in the area. They point out that the underground water in the area is not fit for consumption because of heavy content of pesticides. The water being procured through private sources is unfiltered that lead to many diseases. The filtration plant constructed with foreign knowhow near Talwandi Sabo township is also lying dry. The small farmers in the adjoining Malkana, Gyana and Lalewal villages are also facing acute shortage of drinking water. Gurmail Singh said residents of Jajjal village did not get adequate supply of drinking water even during normal times as no overhead tank had been built by the Water and Sewerage Board in the area. The water pumped by the filtration plant did not reach the tail-end residents, he added.
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Rotation programme for Rohri Canal
The executive engineer of Dad irrigation division has announced a rotation programme for Rohri Canal in view of short supply of water. According to the programme issued on Saturday, Rein distributary (distry) and its system, Chanesar minor, Sakrand distry, Mangio minor, Forest minor, Rahib Shah distry, Bilawal Zardari minor, Khadar distry and its system, Lakhmir minor, Jam Dahiri minor, Attur minor, Khair Shah minor, Shahbaz minor, Batho minor and Nakur minor will remain open from Feb 22 to March 1. Thul branch and its system, Talhi minor, Kahkat minor, Malwah distry, Mirrukn minor, Kazi Ahmed minor, Jado minor, Manharo minor, San minor, Jamal Shah distry, Pubjo distry, Sujawal distry, Jam Mohammad minor and Waryam minor will remain open from March 1 to 8. PPP RALLY: A large number of activists and supporter of Pakistan People's Party held a rally to celebrate the victory of their party in general election on Saturday. The rally, carrying party flags and portraits of late Benazir Bhutto and raising "Jeay Bhutto' slogans started from Daur town and terminated at Dargah Jam Saheb in Jam Saheb town. The rally participants laid a floral wreath on Dargah Jam Saheb and offered prayers for the prosperity of the country. GROWERS: Sugarcane growers staged a demonstration and observed token hunger strike outside local press club against sugar mills for initiating broker system, here on Saturday.
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Tenders called for tail pond link canal project
Tenders of one and four package of Dummugudem-Nagarjunasagar Project tail pond link canal, the first of its kind in the country in river linkage of Godavari and Krishna rivers, would be put online for e-procurement on February 27. The first package is an approach canal from zero to 6.5 km and water would be drawn from Godavari at the time of floods and it would be taken to the tail pond of Nagarjunasagar reservoir. Water would be drawn when the river crosses 52.5 feet and would be diverted through 6.5 km length approach canal on gravity. There is no need for lifting it to the point. The contracts would be called on engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) system. Though the engineers of the project evolved a plan for the packages on behalf of the government the companies which obtained the tenders have to submit fresh engineering, procurement and construction plans for the packages of the project. As a result, the cost may be reduced or increased as per the approved plan. The fourth package is for constructing a pump house for 20,000 cusecs and digging a canal from 38.5 km to 48 km. The project officials planned to call the tenders on February 21 but it was postponed to February 27 to finalise the cost of the two packages. Officials are tight-lipped about the cost of the project, but sources said that the two packages would cost Rs 550 crore. The total cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 8,930 crore and the project work would be divided into more than 18 packages. Water can be drawn only during floods.
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Hooda for equal distribution of canal water
Reiterating his commitment for ensuring equal distribution of canal water, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Sunday assured the people of Ahirwal that canal water of Rivers Ravi-Beas would flow through their fields thanks to the Hansi- Butana Link Canal before the next Parliamentary elections. Addressing a rally organised by Independent MLA Naresh Yadav at Ateli, Mr.Hooda said that the Ahirwal region had remained neglected during the last 40 years but his regime was fully aware of the problems being faced by the people and was taking remedial measures.
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Governance of water: institutional alternatives and political economy
Governance of Water: Institutional Alternatives and Political Economy is a timely, relevant book that makes a case for reforming water governance in India through not only re-orientating policy priorities and approaches, but also restructuring the institutional framework away from the state and village dichotomy.
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30,000 farmers demand Hirakud dam water
Western Orissa is witnessing an upheaval. In the eye of the storm is the Hirakud dam. Over 300,000 farmers dependent on its water for irrigation are indignant that industries springing up around the dam are sucking away the water they had been waiting for
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Bureaucracy restricts potential of Orissa's pani panchayats
A canal, which ordinarily takes about 10 days for the irrigation department to clean, was cleaned in two days
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Panchayati irrigation management over canal systems in West Bengal
The paper aims to trace out if the role that panchayati raj institutions play towards decentralised management system over large irrigation systems in the state of West Bengal. The study highlights that the devolution of legal power to the panchayat fall short of control over canal irrigation systems of the state. July-Sep 2006
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Short circuit
On the face of it, the ambitious Sethusamudram project to bridge the east coast with the west coast of the country seems a great idea. The prospect of not having to circumnavigate Sri Lanka and cutting short travel periods by 30 hours sounds as interesti