Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal on Monday, 8 June inaugurated a set of irrigation projects worth ₹13 crore in the Amargarh Assembly constituency, promising canal water access to more than 3,832 acres of agricultural land for the first time. The projects span multiple villages across Malerkotla and Sangrur districts and are aimed at reducing the state's chronic dependence on groundwater.

Key Developments

The centrepiece of the inauguration is the newly constructed Bhasaur Minor, drawn from the Kotla Branch Canal and concretely lined at a cost of ₹4.07 crore. According to the minister, this channel will restore canal water supply to nine villages in Malerkotla and Sangrur districts after a gap of nearly 50 to 60 years — a striking indicator of how long tail-end farmers in the region have gone without reliable surface irrigation.

Two underground pipeline projects branch off from the Bhasaur Minor. A 7,640-metre pipeline costing ₹1.73 crore will serve Darogewal and Manakmajra villages, irrigating 1,006 acres for the first time. A second 4,200-metre pipeline at ₹1.03 crore covers Rustamgarh, Sangali, Sangala, and Bhaini Kalan villages, bringing canal irrigation to roughly 980 acres since Independence.

Dehleez Khurd Works

At Dehleez Khurd village, Goyal inaugurated irrigation infrastructure valued at ₹6.17 crore. The flagship component is a 20,149-metre modern pipeline laid from the Bathinda Branch at a cost of ₹5.63 crore, designed to supply canal water to the villages of Mehrna Khurd, Kanganpur, and Rasulpur, covering 1,486 acres of farmland.

What the Government Said

Goyal stated that the Mann government has taken concrete steps to strengthen the canal network and provide long-term, reliable irrigation to farmers — contrasting this with what he described as earlier administrations that 'only indulged in politics over water issues and failed to safeguard the state's rightful share of water.' He underlined that the objective is to ensure every drop of canal water reaches tail-end fields while protecting the state's overall water resources.

Why It Matters

Punjab's agricultural economy is heavily reliant on groundwater, which has been depleting at an alarming rate across the state's central districts. Canal-based irrigation, when functional, significantly reduces the energy and extraction costs borne by farmers. This comes amid growing policy pressure on Punjab to curb tubewells and shift to surface water systems. Notably, restoring canal access to villages that lost it half a century ago signals both an infrastructure backlog and the scale of work still ahead for the state's water resources department.

With these projects commissioned, the government is expected to push further extensions of the canal network in the coming months, particularly ahead of the kharif sowing season.