Water crisis: Punjab farmers bear the brunt of canal closure, Rajasthan gets water

Sukhchain Minor starts from Lambi area of Muktsar and it goes till Abohar (Fazilka). It too is lying closed for relining work. There’s no water supply in it for more than six weeks now and the closure of Sirhind feeder canal has only added to the woes of farmers.

Gang canal flows from Punjab to Rajasthan, and its water is completely used by the neighbouring state.

Farmers depended on Sirhind feeder canal for irrigation and other agriculture purposes are also irked by the fact that they have to bear the brunt of the canal closure, and not Rajasthan which is enjoying free water supply from Punjab.

Gang canal and Indira Gandhi canal (water of both used by Rajasthan) are lying adjacent to Sirhind feeder canal.

Farmers are also upset over AAP MLA Amandeep Singh Goldy Musafir allegedly calling their two fellow men “defaulters and blackmailers” when they questioned the legislator on shortage of water at an ongoing public function in Bahavwala village (Fazilka district) on Saturday.

Farmers claim these issues will put the AAP on the back foot when their leaders go for election campaign in Malwa districts of Punjab, especially the constituencies of Bathinda and Ferozepur.

Sirhind canal originates from Rupnagar. While passing through Ludhiana it bifurcates into three branches – Abohar branch, Patiala branch, and Bathinda branch – which further divides into sub-canals to feed a large swathe of Malwa Punjab (Ludhiana, Moga, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Sangrur, Patiala, Bathinda, Muktsar, Mansa, Malerkotla, Barnala, Mohali, Rupnagar, and Fatehgarh Sahib).

Following the closure, water supply to all the sub-canals passing via Sirhind feeder has been stopped, the larger effect of which is being felt in Muktsar and Fazilka districts.

However, water in Gang canal going to Rajasthan is running at full capacity, while Indira Gandhi canal’s supply has been reduced from 12,000 cusecs to 3,000 cusecs per day instead of stopping the water supply altogether.

“Water to Rajasthan goes from Punjab’s Harike headworks (Sutlej’s water). Their farmers had raised a hue and cry on Friday about the possible water supply stoppage, and consequently, the water supply in Indira Gandhi canal was reduced, instead of stopping it altogether. The Gang canal has nothing to do with Sirhind feeder’s repair work. Farmers in Punjab are irked by Rajasthan getting free water supply from the state (Punjab) while they being at the receiving end of this water crisis,” said Darshan Singh Giddranwali, a leader of BKU Rajewal from Abohar area.

The farmers who were detained and later released by police were Gunwant Singh Panjawa, general secretary of BKU Khosa, and seven other leaders of other farmer unions.

Also, on Monday, members of BKU Sidhupur, Kirti Kisan Union and other farmer unions burnt an effigy of Balluana MLA Amandeep Singh Goldy Musafir in Abohar for his alleged callous remarks against two farmers on Saturday.

“Sukhchain Minor has been without water supply for more than six weeks now and the closure of Sirhind feeder has only compounded the problems of farmers of this region,” said Gunwant Singh Panjawa at a protest meeting at Rajpura barrier (Fazilka district) on Monday morning. Rajpura barrier is at the fag end of Sukhchain Minor (canal).

Abohar MLA Sandeep Jakhar said, “Every year canals of this area are closed for about four weeks but that closure period starts from March-end. But this time the Punjab canal irrigation department advanced it by 15 days when wheat crop needed one-last irrigation, and kinnow orchards too need water this time. Moreover, they did this without prior notice. They need to release the schedule at least a month in advance. This is not done. This is unfair to the people living in this area who follow crop diversification and are dependent on canal water alone to irrigate their fields.”

When asked how farmers will now irrigate their fields, Mahinder Kumar Kulchania, BKU Rajewal block president (Fazilka district), said, “Those who had to irrigate their fields (wheat crop) one last time will now use underground saline water and mix it with some canal water stored in field water tanks. The same process will be followed for kinnow too.”

Mahinder Kumar Kulchania added, “AAP’s Abohar constituency in-charge Arun Narang visited Kallarkhera village on Monday, but we protested by showing black flags to him.”

Similar process will be followed in Muktsar also where farmers will manage with “groundwater mixed with stored canal water. The government is forcing us to use this poor quality water for irrigation”, said Sukhmander Singh, president, BKU Rajewal, Fazilka district. “They (AAP) will pay a heavy price for it in the parliamentary elections. Moreover, their MLA called our fellow men defaulters and blackmailers and they (party) call themselves ‘friends of farmers’,” he added.

Meanwhile, the canal irrigation department has stated that it will release water in Sirhind feeder canal by April 16. The relining work had to be carried out, otherwise the funds of Nabard (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) would not be available after March 31, it said.

A canal irrigation department officer from Abohar claimed that wheat doesn’t require irrigation now, while kinnow orchardists will manage till April 15. He admitted that water supply in Indira Gandhi canal was reduced, while the Gang canal was running at full capacity.

Earlier the Indira Gandhi canal also had to be closed to maintain water pressure, as it runs parallel to Sirhind feeder, so as to avoid breach of canal.