Concrete lining of Faridkot canals a bone of contention

Faridkot, November 21

The concrete lining of the Indira Gandhi and Sirhind Feeder canals, which run parallel in Faridkot, has put the AAP leaders and officials of the Water Resources Department in a peculiar situation.

Faridkot MLA Gurdit Singh Sekhon today said that the state government has agreed to his proposal regarding doing brick lining instead of concrete, so that seepage of water continues and residents do not face any difficulty in sourcing potable water.

However, the Water Resources Department denied of giving nod to any such proposal. Hardeep Singh Mehndiratta, Superintending Engineer, Water Resources Department, said there was no plan of brick lining the canals.

In the wake of rising anger among residents, the AAP’s MLAs from Kotkapura and Faridkot have been trying to prevail upon the state government to make some change in the lining project.

In a meeting held last week between the Water Resources Department and the AAP leaders, officials opposed the idea of brick lining of the canals. Officials suggested that instead of keeping the canals unlined in the area, holes at regular intervals in the bed can ensure continuous, but limited seepage of water.

Protesting under the banner of the Jal Jeevan Bachao Morcha, residents said concrete lining would destroy green cover and rich biodiversity existing along the canals. “The concrete lining will affect the groundwater table and impact agriculture, besides creating drinking water crisis in the area,” the protesters said, adding that more than 20,000 trees would dry, due to lack of water.

“Under the relining project, a 10-mm polythene sheet with cement, mortar and brick-tile is being used to cut water seepage. This will leave the groundwater in the area unfit for human consumption,” agitators said.

Indira Gandhi Canal starts from Harike Barrage near Harike and ends at the irrigation facilities in the Thar desert in northwest Rajasthan. Due to crumbling brick lining, seepage has led to huge loss of water, adversely affecting the water-carrying capacity of the canal at the tail-end.

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.