In a landmark achievement for Punjab's agricultural sector, thousands of farmers in the state's Kandi region are now receiving canal water for irrigation after a drought-like wait of nearly four decades.
Addressing longstanding irrigation challenges and revitalizing Punjab's agricultural infrastructure, Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann-led government has invested approximately 2.5 times more funds (over Rs.4557 crore from 2022 to 2025) than the previous Congress government (Rs.2046 crore from 2019 to 2022) in developing irrigation infrastructure for canal water distribution, yielding remarkable outcomes.
Punjab Water Resources and Soil and Water Conservation Minister Sh. Barinder Kumar Goyal said that in numerous areas, farmers who had abandoned hope are now receiving canal water after nearly 40 years.
The Cabinet Minister listed the comprehensive rehabilitation of the Kandi Canal network, which has a capacity of 463 cusecs and extends 129.035 kilometers from Talwara to Balachaur. Although construction from Talwara to Hoshiarpur was completed in 1998 and Stage 2 from Hoshiarpur to Balachaur in 2016, the infrastructure had deteriorated substantially, causing persistent leakage and seepage issues that prevented water from reaching its full capacity.
He said that the government prioritized this project and invested approximately Rs.238.90 crore in the Kandi canal network to ensure water reaches tail-end areas. Today, water flows from Talwara to Balachaur-reaching the furthest points after nearly 40 years-benefiting 433 villages across Hoshiarpur and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar districts and irrigating 125,000 acres across Dasuya, Mukerian, Tanda-Urmar, Sham Churasi, Hoshiarpur, Chabbewal, Garhshankar, and Balachaur.
He said that the concrete lining of Kandi Canal Stage-1 (Talwara to Hoshiarpur) was completed at a cost of Rs.120 crore. To optimize canal performance, the Mann government restored earthen watercourses and rejuvenated 11 distributaries spanning 61 kilometers under Kandi Canal Stage-1, benefiting 203 villages in Hoshiarpur covering 28,500 acres. Besides this, a Rs. 58.78 crore project for a 417.52-kilometer underground pipeline distribution system is scheduled for completion this month, he added.
He informed that for Kandi Canal Stage-2 between Hoshiarpur and Balachaur, the state government has restored six flow distributaries extending approximately 42 kilometers, providing irrigation facilities to 72 villages across Hoshiarpur and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar districts, covering 18,800 acres of agricultural land.
Sh. Barinder Kumar Goyal further revealed that five previously deteriorated lift schemes on this canal, which were designed to provide water to elevated areas, have been completely overhauled at a cost of Rs.34 crore, including their distribution systems. These revitalized lift schemes are now serving 38 villages with approximately 11,576 acres of previously rain-dependent land.
Beyond rehabilitating existing infrastructure, the Mann government has implemented several innovative initiatives. Five new lift schemes have been installed at a cost of Rs.11.62 crore, irrigating around 1,500 additional acres, stated the Cabinet Minister.
He said that to elevate groundwater levels, recharging structures have been constructed over five defunct government tubewells at a cost of Rs. 20 lakh, while 24 ponds have been developed with Rs. 5.16 crore, designed to be periodically replenished with canal water.
In a significant environmental intervention, 18 seasonal streams (choes) have been connected to the canal network at a cost of Rs.4.18 crore, allowing controlled release of canal water to enhance groundwater recharge.
"We are also supplying canal water to industry, reducing groundwater extraction while generating supplementary revenue for the state," said Sh. Barinder Kumar Goyal, underlining the restoration of 13 low-earthen dams on various streams in Hoshiarpur and S.A.S. Nagar districts, where underground pipe distribution systems had deteriorated. The government invested Rs. 11.50 crore to revitalize these systems, he added.
