Desilting, repair of Harike headworks put off again

Amaninder Pal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 1

Punjab and Rajasthan have decided to defer the Rs 42-crore Harike headworks’ repair and desilting project till April next year.

The project, which was scheduled to be executed in October, has been deferred for the second time this year. Earlier, both states had decided to execute it in April this year, but deferred it at the last moment.

The Punjab Government had then preferred to postpone it, citing high requirement of water during the cotton sowing season in April-May, 2015. This time, the project has been postponed on Rajasthan’s request.

Pertinently, the water of the Harike reservoir feeds the Rajasthan canal, which irrigates crops in seven districts of Rajasthan apart from several districts of south-west Punjab.

To remove silt from the reservoir and repair floodgates at the headworks, engineers have to empty the reservoir.

“Mustard crop is being sown on a large scale in Rajasthan this month. Therefore, Rajasthan authorities are not willing to execute the project at this juncture. The project can’t be taken up after October as wheat sowing season will begin in Punjab. Hence, it has been decided to postpone it to April next year,” said Secretary, Irrigation, KS Pannu.

The gates were last repaired around 11 years ago in March, 2005.

The Harike headworks is a strategically important asset. India releases water from the barrage in Sutlej and its small tributaries that run along the Line of Control, which serve as the first line of natural defence in the case forces advance from Pakistan.

Sources said the execution of the project, which requires emptying of the reservoir, will also render India unable to exploit Sutlej water as a defence line.