Punjab govt restores Kandi Canal water after 40 years, providing irrigation to 1.25 lakh acres across 433 villages under CM Bhagwant Mann.
The CM Bhagwant Singh Mann-led administration has successfully restored canal water supplies to tail-end farms in Punjab’s Kandi belt, ending a four-decade irrigation drought and providing long-awaited relief to farmers in the hilly and drought-prone area. A significant change in Punjab’s irrigation landscape has been brought about by the ₹238.90 crore renovation of the Kandi Canal system, which has now touched 433 villages and covered 1.25 lakh acres of agricultural land throughout the Kandi district.
The Mann government has made irrigation revival a governance priority and supported it with an unprecedented financial commitment, according to Water Resources and Soil & Water Conservation Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal, who shared specifics of the accomplishment. He said, “The Punjab government has invested over ₹4,557 crore in canal irrigation between 2022 and 2025, which is nearly two and a half times more than the ₹2,046 crore spent by the previous Congress government between 2019 and 2022.”
The Water Resources and Soil & Water Conservation Minister emphasized the effect on farmers, stating that the outcomes are now apparent on the ground. “After almost 40 years, farmers who had given up hope are now receiving canal water in many areas,” he remarked.
He clarified that the Kandi Canal network, which stretches 129.035 kilometers from Talwara to Balachaur and has a carrying capacity of 463 cusecs, had experienced significant degradation over time. Despite the completion of Stage 2 from Hoshiarpur to Balachaur in 2016 and Talwara to Hoshiarpur in 1998, he said that extensive seepage and leakage had kept water from getting to the tail-end districts. After over forty years, he said, “the Bhagwant Singh Mann government gave priority to this long-standing issue and invested ₹238.90 crore to ensure that canal water now flows from Talwara to Balachaur, reaching the furthest points.”
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According to Goyal, 433 villages in the districts of Hoshiarpur and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar are currently benefiting from the restored canal system, which also irrigates 1.25 lakh acres of agricultural area in Dasuya, Mukerian, Tanda-Urmar, Sham Churasi, Hoshiarpur, Chabbewal, Garhshankar, and Balachaur.
“At a cost of ₹120 crore, concrete lining from Talwara to Hoshiarpur has been completed,” the Minister stated, describing the work done under Kandi Canal Stage 1. In order to further maximize canal performance, he continued, the government revitalized 11 distributaries and rebuilt earthen watercourses across a distance of 61 kilometers, which benefited 203 villages in the Hoshiarpur district and covered 28,500 acres. Additionally, he disclosed that a 417.52-kilometer underground pipeline distribution project for ₹58.78 crore is expected to be finished this month.
Minister Goyal stated that six flow distributaries spanning over 42 kilometers have been restored in the Kandi Canal Stage-2 between Hoshiarpur and Balachaur. “These projects are covering 18,800 acres of agricultural land and providing irrigation facilities to 72 villages throughout the districts of Hoshiarpur and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar,” he stated.
The Minister also said that, at a cost of ₹34 crore, five previously deteriorating lift schemes on the canal—which were intended to supply water to elevated areas—had been fully renovated, including their distribution systems. According to him, “these revitalized lift schemes are currently serving 38 villages and irrigating approximately 11,576 acres of land that was previously entirely dependent on rainfall.”
Goyal highlighted new projects, stating that the Bhagwant Singh Mann government has irrigated an extra 1,500 acres by installing five new lift schemes at a cost of ₹11.62 crore. He went on to say that in order to boost groundwater levels, 24 ponds were made at a cost of ₹5.16 crore and are periodically refilled with canal water, while recharge structures were built over five abandoned government tubewells at a cost of ₹20 lakh.
According to the Minister, 18 seasonal streams, or choes, have been connected to the canal network at a cost of ₹4.18 crore, which is a substantial environmental intervention that allows for controlled release of canal water to improve groundwater recharge. Additionally, he emphasized that industrial units are now receiving canal water. “This action is lowering groundwater extraction and bringing in additional funds for the state,” he stated.
Goyal added that as subterranean pipe distribution systems degraded over time, 13 low-earthen dams on different streams in the districts of Hoshiarpur and S.A.S. Nagar were reconstructed. “To revitalize these systems, the government has invested ₹11.50 crore,” he stated.
The Minister stated that the Kathgarh lift plan is being implemented in three stages with reference to upcoming projects. The first phase, which will supply canal water to roughly 5,000 acres in villages like Kathgarh, Malewal, Baghowal, Paniali Kalan, Paniali Khurd, Surapur, Chahal, Sudha Majra, Kamalpur, Tandoh, and Bachwan, he stated, will begin operations next month. Phases two and three, which will expand irrigation capabilities to an additional 9,000 acres in villages like Kolar, Balowal, Saunkri, Sudha Majra, Majra Jattan, and Taunsa, will be operational next year, he continued.
Additionally, he stated that the department is gradually substituting lift irrigation systems for deep tubewells in order to provide canal water to regions that were previously reliant on groundwater. “This strategy will greatly lessen the strain on Punjab’s rapidly depleting groundwater supplies,” stated Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal.
The Bhagwant Singh Mann-led administration has made a long-overdue adjustment to Punjab’s irrigation system, demonstrating its dedication to farmers, water security, and sustainable agriculture, with canal water now finally reaching the Kandi belt’s tail end after forty years.