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Chandigarh/Pathankot, July 8
Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal has assured residents there is “no need to panic” during the monsoon, saying the state has completed flood protection measures while expanding canal irrigation to thousands of acres of farmland. During a visit to Pathankot district, the minister inaugurated two newly reconstructed Shahpurkandi water channels and reviewed flood restoration works at the Ranjit Sagar Dam, Shahpurkandi Dam Barrage Project and Madhopur Headworks, which suffered extensive damage during last year’s floods.
For many farmers in Punjab’s Kandi region, the new channels mark the return of reliable irrigation after years of uncertainty. The government said the project has brought canal water to around 13,000 acres of farmland, including nearly 6,000 acres that were previously dependent on a defunct lift irrigation system.
Officials said about Rs 38 crore was spent reconstructing and lining nearly 25 kilometres of water channels, helping revive cultivation in 15 villages, including Jugial, Madhopur and Ranipur, where rocky and barren land had remained difficult to farm.
Goyal said the expansion of canal irrigation fulfils a decades-old demand of farmers and will reduce dependence on groundwater, whose falling levels have become a growing concern across Punjab.
The minister said the state has also significantly expanded its canal irrigation network in recent years, increasing the utilisation of Punjab’s allocated canal water from around 26% to nearly 80%, with a target of reaching 86%.
He also reviewed restoration work at Madhopur Headworks, where major repairs were undertaken after the August 2025 floods. According to the government, protective embankments were built, all 54 gates were modernised and three damaged gates were reconstructed, with around Rs 50 crore spent on the project.
An additional Rs 3.61 crore has been used to line 17 kilometres of watercourses to reduce water losses and improve supplies to farmers at the tail end of the canal network.
With the monsoon underway, Goyal said all vulnerable flood-prone locations identified after last year’s floods have been strengthened and repaired.
“The government is fully prepared to deal with any flood situation,” he said, adding that preventive measures are in place and residents should not panic during the rainy season.
