The Punjab Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution to check the declining water table and protect the environment.
Punjab Water Resources Minister Brinder Kumar Goyal, while speaking on a resolution introduced by member Gurdev Singh Dev Maan, highlighted the initiative and efforts of the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann-led government to conserve groundwater and expressed disappointment over the Union government’s “biased” approach.
During his address, he said that during the previous Congress government’s tenure from 2019 to 2022, around Rs 2,046 crore were spent on canal infrastructure.
“In contrast, our government has invested over Rs 4,557 crore from 2022 to 2025 on canal water conservation, infrastructure restoration and ensuring water reaches agricultural land, which is more than 2.25 times the previous expenditure.”
The Minister said that Chief Minister Mann had decided immediately upon forming the government to ensure water reaches agricultural land, which “we have successfully accomplished”.
Previously, dam water was utilised at only 68 per cent, but now, through the government’s efforts, it has increased to 84 per cent, said the minister, adding the government has restored 17,072 water courses spanning 6,300 km, which had been dilapidated and non-functional for 30-40 years.
The government has restored 79 canals extending 545 km, providing irrigation to 41,135 acres.
In the Fazilka district, bordering Pakistan, 12 canals spanning 213 km under the Luther Canal System, which had been non-operational for 15 years, have been restored. The minister said new canals are being constructed in Malerkotla, Pathankot, Malwa, Amritsar and other regions.
In the Tarn Taran district, 23 canals, which were non-functional for 30-40 years, have been restored. To provide water to new areas in the Malerkotla district, the government has completed expansion work on the Rohira, the Kanganwal, and the Dehlon canals.
New canal construction processes have been initiated in the Malerkotla, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Fazilka and Muktsar Sahib districts, he added.
Goyal said 129 canal water recharge sites have been completed, with 60 more recharge schemes under development, while 127 new ponds are being excavated and connected to canals for groundwater recharge. A total of 66 existing ponds are being linked with canals to recharge groundwater.
The minister said that compared to the previous five years, the government is now capable of utilizing 12 per cent more additional water during the kharif season. In the Ropar and Hoshiarpur districts, 28 new lift schemes have been identified to provide water to Punjab’s neglected border areas, with 15 schemes already operational.
“Punjab requires Rs 17,000 crore for water-courses work. If all water-courses are constructed and underground pipes are laid, the state could save 20 per cent of its water,” he said, adding that while many canals have been restored, they are not fully capable of carrying water.
