J&K ryots left high & dry as India’s share of water flows into Pak

The treaty prohibits the storage of water from the rivers flowing in the State for irrigation and other purposes. However, the Ranbir canal, which draws water from river Chenab, was completed in 1905 much before the signing of the Indus Water Treaty between the two neighbours.

The 60 kms long canal irrigated over one lakh acres of land through its 400 kms long distributories and 1,000 kms long field channels in Jammu district. It has a beautiful irrigation network, a senior Irrigation Department engineer said, adding that the canal flows under the bed of river Tawi.

Sources said that due to continuous siltation, the original intake capacity of the Ranbir Canal (1,400 cusecs of water per second) has now come down to half that quantity. As a result, only half of India’s share of Chenab waters flows into the canal for irrigating agricultural lands, while the remaining half flows over to Pakistan.

Substantiating, sources said that initially, the water level in the canal used to be 9 ft. However, at present it does not exceed 4 to 5 ft even during the paddy season, they added.

The Irrigation Department Chief Engineer, however, denied that the water intake capacity of the canal has decreased due to silt. "Instead, we sometimes draw more water from the river, but we cannot reveal details in the national interest," he added.

"We have been regularly getting the silt removed through contractors and this year, I have ensured desiltation even at the tail end of the canal. As a result, water was available for irrigation purposes even at the tail end of the canal," he said and added that the water level in the Ranbir Canal was between 1.5 to 2 metres at present.

However, the Chief Engineer’s claim notwithstanding, farmers from various parts of Jammu district were seen visiting the Irrigation Department with complaints about the non-supply of irrigation water. "The water is yet to reach Miran Sahib and R S Pura areas, as the engineers have diverted the canal water into river Tawi at Belichrana," said Joginder Singh of Khir Pind.

The farmers were unable to irrigate their fields as the canal was dry, complained R K Sharma of Miran Sahib. He attributed the non-supply of water to accumulation of silt in the canal. Farmers from Pouni Chak area had also come with similar complaints. There has been no desiltation of the canal this year, said Sukh Ram and Ruldu Ram, both residents of Pouni Chak.

The water level was only 3.6 to 4 ft between Akhnoor and Jammu city, and it was yet to reach the fields in Miran Sahib and R S Pura areas.

At the Ranbir Canal head near Akhnoor – the place where the Chenab waters flow into the canal, the water level as per the gauge was 9.6 ft. However, on physical verification by this reporter with the help of a long bamboo, it was found to be only 4 ft as the gauge was buried 5 ft deep into the silt, which had accumulated over a period of time.

Similarly, the water level at Babe Da Talab and Domana was found touching the 5 ft and 7 ft mark on the gauge, respectively. However, on physical verification, the gauge was found to be buried about 1.6 ft and 3 ft deep, respectively in the silt at these places.

Significantly, this when the Irrigation Department spends nearly Rs two crore on desiltation and maintenance of the Ranbir Canal every year. However, virtually taking the lid off the irregularities in desiltation work, children were seen bathing in waist deep canal water at places like Mishriwala, Muthi and Paloura.