Govt working on another Lift Irri Canal
Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, May 17: The Union Government is contemplating to increase the length of the Ranbir Canal on the Chenab river as part of its efforts to increase its usage of water that India will get after putting the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) in abeyance following the Pahalgam attack in Kashmir.
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Official sources said that India has been using limited water from Chenab, nearly 900 cu, mostly for irrigation and domestic use, but by putting the Treaty in abeyance now there is scope of expanding its use, especially in power generation sector to meet the energy demands and cover some more land in Jammu region for irrigation purpose.
Sources revealed that apart from increasing length, the Union Government is also planning to increase the depth and width of the existing Canal which irrigates many areas right from Akhnoor, Mishriwala, Kanha Chak, Jhiri, Gajansu Marh besides areas in Miran Sahib, Chatha , R S Pura, Marallian, Bishnah, Ramgarh etc.
The Government is also contemplating to construct a Lift Irrigation canal, upstream the new bridge over river Chenab at Akhnoor Bypass, near Ghour to provide irrigation facility to the areas of Gharota and Kote Bhalwal. The possibility is also being worked out to increase the intake capacity of water in Partap Canal of Akhnoor-Jourian-Khour which is already undergoing face lift.
While an official in the Administrative department said that the Government is contemplating to work on this proposal, the Chief Engineer I&FC Jammu Manoj Gupta said that he was yet to receive any such proposal from the higher authorities in black and white. He said while de-silting work is just normal exercise on annual basis, it has nothing to do with the increasing water capacity but it is also true that after this exercise water reaches up to the tail end of the canal and its distributaries in Bishnah and Suchetgarh.
Another official said that India is planning to enhance its current hydropower capacity of around 3000 megawatts on the rivers that were earlier being used by Pakistan and a feasibility study in this regard is being planned. “One of the major plans are enhancing the length of the Ranbir canal covering some more areas of district Samba,” the official said, adding that as building of the infrastructure requires time, the stakeholders have been urged to expedite the process.
Brokered by the World Bank in 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) governed the distribution and use of the Indus river and its tributaries between India and Pakistan.
But India decided to suspend the treaty after the Pahalgam attack and has since then maintained that the treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism.
The river system comprises the Indus — the main river — and its tributaries. The Ravi, Beas and Sutlej are collectively referred to as the eastern rivers while the Indus, Jhelum and the Chenab are known as the western rivers.
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