Amid protests, govt puts canal concrete lining work on hold
Faridkot, December 5
Keeping in view the massive protest by residents of Faridkot and adjoining villages against the concrete lining of the Indira Gandhi and Sirhind Feeder canals in the area, the state government on Monday decided to put the construction work on hold. The tenders for the lining of the canals for about 15 km length in the Faridkot area have been cancelled.
Tripartite agreement
A tripartite agreement for remodelling-cum-relining of canals was signed by the Union Ministry of Water Resources and the Rajasthan and Punjab governments on January 23, 2019. The concrete lining project was started about two years ago, beginning from Rajasthan
Hardeep Singh Mehndiratta, Superintending Engineer, Water Resources Department, said in view of the public protest, the work orders for the concrete lining of the canals in Faridkot have been cancelled.
Residents and farmers of the area have been opposing the concrete lining of the canals saying that it would affect agricultural activities and the recharge of ground water in the area, which is already facing a huge problem of drinking water.
A tripartite agreement for remodelling-cum-relining of these canals was signed by the Union Ministry of Water Resources and the Rajasthan and Punjab governments on January 23, 2019. The concrete lining project was started about two years back, beginning from Rajasthan.
The Indira Gandhi Canal and Sirhind feeder canal start from Harike Barrage near Harike in Ferozepur. While the Sirhind feeder canal ends in Punjab, the Indira Gandhi canal culminates in northwest Rajasthan. The first 167 km of this canal lies in Punjab and Haryana, and the rest 37 km of it is in Rajasthan. Due to a crumbling brick-lining, seepage is causing a huge loss of water, adversely affecting the water-carrying capacity of the canal in the tail-end region.
For the last about two years, the concrete lining work was going on in Rajasthan and Haryana and now when it was to begin in Faridkot, it is facing strong opposition from residents.
Due to public protest against the lining of the canals in the area, the Water Resources Department had conducted a physical inspection of the canals last week.
As the ground water in Faridkot is not fit for human consumption, the seepage of water from the canals is a big saviour to the residents. Canal seepage joins the adjoining groundwater, thus improving its quality and makes it drinkable, said Shankar Sharma, convener of Jal Jeevan Bachao Morcha, an umbrella front of various NGOs and residents opposing the lining of the canals in the area.
