Barinder Kumar Goyal inaugurates treated wastewater-based irrigation project covering 426 hectares at Jagraon

Jagraon (Ludhiana), July 9, 2026: In a significant step towards groundwater conservation and promoting the use of alternative water resources for irrigation, Punjab Soil and Water Conservation, Mines and Geology and Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal today inaugurated treated wastewater-based irrigation project developed by the Soil and Water Conservation Department, Punjab at Jagraon.
Constructed at a cost of Rs.5.34 crore, the project will channel treated water from the local Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) for agricultural irrigation.
The Cabinet Minister was accompanied by MLA Jagraon Sarvjit Kaur Manuke, Chief Soil Conservator Punjab Mahinder Singh, ADC Jagraon Manjit Singh Cheema, SDM Badaldeen and Divisional Soil Conservation Officer Ludhiana Nidhi Batta.
Addressing the gathering, Barinder Kumar Goyal said the Punjab Government is undertaking a series of initiatives to arrest the alarming decline in the state's groundwater table. He said the utilisation of treated wastewater from sewage treatment plants for agricultural irrigation has become the need of the hour. Such initiatives will not only reduce dependence on groundwater but will also ensure the productive utilisation of treated water that was earlier being discharged into nearby drains.
The Cabinet Minister said the project marks another major milestone in the Punjab Government's sustained efforts to conserve groundwater, promote the reuse of treated wastewater and strengthen sustainable irrigation infrastructure for the farming community.
He categorically said, "With the completion of this project, Punjab's capacity to utilise treated water for irrigation will reach nearly 500 MLD, while 22 additional projects with a combined capacity of 210 MLD are currently under construction. He added that these projects are emerging as model initiatives for replication across the country.
He said that the project will provide irrigation facilities to around 426 hectares of agricultural land and directly benefit nearly 547 farmers from villages Agwarh Khawaja Baju and Agwarh Lopo Kalan.
Barinder Kumar Goyal said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has fulfilled his commitment to ensure the supply of water to tail-end areas, a long-standing demand of farmers across Punjab.
The Soil and Water Conservation Minister also announced that treated water from another 12 MLD Sewage Treatment Plant, which is already operational in Jagraon, will also be supplied to agricultural fields through a dedicated pipeline network. A proposal for the project will be prepared shortly and the scheme will be implemented at the earliest, providing additional irrigation support to farmers of the Jagraon constituency.
He further said that the Department of Soil and Water Conservation is already supplying treated water for irrigation to nearly 30,000 acres across Punjab through pipeline networks. In the coming phase, another 20,000 acres will be brought under treated water-based irrigation. He said the Punjab Government has set a target of providing irrigation to 50,000 acres using treated wastewater that was previously going unused. He added that, for the first time in Punjab's history, the government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann has converted treated wastewater into a valuable resource for conserving the state's precious groundwater.
Speaking on the occasion, Jagraon MLA Sarvjit Kaur Manuke said the groundwater level in areas surrounding Jagraon has declined by nearly 70 to 80 feet over the past several years. She observed that replacing tube-well irrigation with treated wastewater for agricultural fields would substantially reduce groundwater extraction and strengthen sustainable water resource management.
Providing details of the project, Chief Soil Conservator Mahinder Singh said the 16 MLD treated water generated daily by the SBR technology-based Jagraon Sewage Treatment Plant will be supplied uninterrupted for irrigation through an underground 15-kilometre HDPE pipeline network. This NABARD project has been completed at a cost of Rs.5.34 crore. He added that the Department of Soil and Water Conservation is implementing similar projects across Punjab to maximise the use of alternative water resources for irrigation and reduce the growing dependence on groundwater.