Manmeet Gill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 22

As canal irrigation system is in a shambles in the district, farmers are solely dependent on groundwater (tubewells) for irrigating their paddy fields.

Canal minors and irrigation channels in most of the villages have either gone dry or encroached upon by farmers in the last few years.

“There is no canal water available for irrigation. The entire system has collapsed. Farmers have to use groundwater, however, if canal water is made available, dependence on groundwater will decrease manifold,” said farm leader Rattan Singh Randhawa.

Officials of the Irrigation Department said the Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) draws only 40 per cent water of its sanctioned limit as the distribution system needs repairs and restoration.

Paddy needs huge quantity of water as fields have to be waterlogged for weeks.

Due to high evaporation rate and seepage of water, farmers need to irrigate their fields regulalry.

Water table in the district has gone down drastically as high-powered submersible pumps were being used to draw water. “Around 20 years ago, monoblock pumps were used. Now, submersible pumps of minimum 7.5 horsepower are used. If canal water is made available, apart from saving groundwater, electricity, too, can be saved,” said Rawel Singh, a farmer.

The Irrigation Department said a proposal for an overhaul of the UBDC canal and its distribution channel was earlier sent to the Central Government for approval. Officials said that department has been making efforts to reclaim the encroached land.