The North News
Chandigarh, January 7
After four decades of unreliable irrigation, farmers in Punjab’s Kandi belt are receiving canal water at the tail end of the network, following the completion of a major revamp of the Kandi Canal system. The state government said a ₹238.9 crore upgrade has restored flows across 433 villages, irrigating about 125,000 acres in the hilly and drought-prone region. Officials described the project as a significant shift for an area long dependent on rainfall and groundwater.
Water Resources and Soil & Water Conservation Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said the revival was part of a broader push under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to rebuild canal irrigation. He said the state had invested more than ₹4,557 crore in canal works since 2022—about two-and-a-half times the spending in the previous three years.
The Kandi Canal, which runs 129km from Talwara to Balachaur with a carrying capacity of 463 cusecs, had suffered from leakage and seepage for years, preventing water from reaching distant farms. Officials said extensive lining and repairs have now enabled water to flow through the entire system. The revived network is benefiting villages across Hoshiarpur and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, covering blocks including Dasuya, Mukerian, Tanda-Urmar, Hoshiarpur, Garhshankar and Balachaur.
The officials said the works included concrete lining of the canal’s first stage, restoration of distributaries, new underground pipeline distribution, and the overhaul of lift schemes to supply elevated areas. Additional lift projects and recharge structures have also been installed to ease pressure on groundwater.
The government said the renewed canal system would support agricultural productivity, reduce dependence on tubewells and help stabilise groundwater levels, while also supplying water to some industrial units to curb extraction. For farmers in the Kandi belt, officials said, the return of canal irrigation marks a long-awaited change after years of scarcity.
