LG Saxena’s intervention helps channelise 20 million litres of glacier water into dry canal in Chuchot

LEH, Aug 21: Nearly 20 million litres of glacier water has been channelised into a dry irrigation canal at Chuchot village in Leh following the intervention of Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, aimed at improving water availability for agriculture and supporting farmers.

The water is part of nearly 90 million litres of daily discharge from Stok Glacier that was earlier flowing into the Indus River.

A major portion of the flow has already been diverted to the Igoo-Phey Irrigation Canal, while nearly 20 million litres per day has now been diverted to the Chuchot canal, locally known as Khuls.

As a result, the glacier water flowing into the Indus has been reduced to around 5 million litres per day.

The initiative followed the Lieutenant Governor’s visit to Chuchot on August 16, when villagers sought his intervention to address the acute shortage of water for agriculture.

Acting on his directions, the Irrigation and Flood Control Department created trenches and a diversion channel to direct the water towards the dry canal.

A JCB was used to create the diversion from the existing water channel, enabling the water to be used for irrigation instead of flowing downstream into the Indus.

The administration said the initiative is part of a wider effort to conserve and utilise glacier and snowmelt water through simple, low-cost and gravity-based interventions.

The focus is on using existing channels and undertaking minimal earthwork to make water available for agriculture and other productive activities.

The initiative is expected to improve irrigation facilities in Chuchot and strengthen efforts towards sustainable agriculture and long-term water security in Ladakh.

Welcoming the intervention, Goba/Nambardar Mirza Hussain thanked the Lieutenant Governor for responding to the villagers’ demand and taking steps to utilise the natural water resources for meeting their agricultural requirements.