Reasons of waterlogging in area adjoining Behram-Mahilpur Road and in various areas of Malwa belt in 90s

Himachal Pradesh is getting 12 percent Hydro Power Royalty, whereas Punjab had passed resolution in the Punjab Assembly in 2016 seeking royalties for its river water from the other States of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi. It is pertinent to note that during the British Raj the other States like Rajasthan used to pay for water of the river Sutlej, the Rajasthan Feeder Canal now known as (Indira Gandhi Canal in Rajasthan) has certainly changed the ecological balance of Rajasthan. Rain in this State was a mere dream in the past but with the digging of ponds, planting sapling on the side of ponds, canals the environment of Rajasthan has changed subsequently. In the past few years, heavy rains, floods were witnessed in Rajasthan, even hail storm was witnessed in Mount Abu in Rajasthan. 

Apart from Rajasthan Feeder (Indira Gandhi Canal) there is another parallel Canal Sirhind Canal in which the river water flows from Harrike Headworks Lake to Rajasthan. Similarly, from Hussainawala Headworks Ferozepur Eastern Canal and Gang Canal originates from Hussaniwala Canal. These Canals irrigate mostly the areas of Punjab. 

In 90s water logging was the major problem of the residents of Malwa Belt. It was pertinent to note that in many areas the water was above the land level and the stagnated water in the areas brought the agriculture produce to nil due to excess water on the agriculture land. The Government of Punjab at that time took number of measures how to deal with the menace of water logging. Additional canals were constructed from which the stagnated water in the fields was made to enroot the water to downstream and a vision to protect the fertile land. As after few years at last the Punjab Irrigation succeeded in the mission and abolished the major problem of water logging which was a fuss for the farmers of Malwa Belt. The Punjab Irrigation Department should also check the record of the past four decades the reason of water logging in the Behram- Mahilpur adjoin the road in Doaba Belt where the Irrigation Department had to expedite crores of rupees to tackle the menace of water logging in the Doaba Belt and Malwa Belt.

In the present arena, due to release of polluted Industrial waste in the rivers it polluted the rivers and apart from this the release of the polluted drain water in the rivers, the river water gets polluted. Due to polluted water number of diseases has engulfed the people of Malwa and the Government had found out a mechanism installation of water filters in the villages to provide safe drinking water to the masses residing in rural areas of Malwa and Majha region.                                                          

The staff of Punjab Irrigation Department is on toes towards laying of new underground pipe lines (Micro Irrigation) in the agriculture fields and increasing the most of the cultivated area irrigated through Canal Water. Due to free power in agriculture sector the farmers had installed their own number of deep tube wells. Now when this micro irrigation project will be completed most of the agriculture land area will be irrigated through micro irrigation system and the use of tube wells by the private players can be the ideas of the past. No doubt the supply of canal water to agriculture sector is not the new concept it is the concept of past decades. From Canals to Distributaries and then to minor Distributaries. The Punjab Irrigation Department will have to study all the date of past three decades the reason behind the water logging in the Malwa Belt. It was presumed that it was the canal system responsible for the water logging due to the seepage of water from these canals and raised the underground water table level and at last paved way towards water logging. The concrete lining on both sides of the canals have been carried out successfully with the financial loan from the Union Government and NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development).
The river water flow in the Shah Nehar Extension canal in the Kandi Area, It is a million dollar question that will the Irrigation Department increase the flow of water in the main canals and the provision of lift irrigation have to be used to irrigate the fertile land and similarly the canal can also be a life line for the masses, if the Punjab Government install water filters in the villages adjoining the canal and plantation drive ne carried out of new sapling on the both the sides of the canal with the Forest Department .   

Authored by:
Rajat Kumar Mohindru,
Journalist,
Jalandhar City.