For kind attention political parties contesting Haryana assembly elections

Pawan Kumar Bansal.

For kind attention political parties contesting Haryana assembly elections-Instead of gimmicks of increased pension and free plots and electricity focus on Irrigation problems of farmers.By our enlightened reader R.N.Malik retired Engineer in Chief,Public Health Haryana.

Haryana State is in ICU so far as problem of shortage of irrigation water is considered. The state was divided into two belts so far as this classification is concerned namely Tube-well belt and Canal Belt. The Tube-well Belt covered areas from Rai to Ambala. The rest is Canal Belt.
Tube-well belt:- Initially, farmers used to draw irrigation water from field well with the help of Harat or Rahat (Persian wheel) and could irrigate half acre per day. Then came tubewell technology in 1965 and irrigation with the help of Tube-wells changed the map of irrigation. But over the years, water table has gone very deep in many areas and farmers are facing irrigation water deficit and they are desperately asking for Canal water to supplement the supply.
Canal Belt:- Area beyond Sonepat and Gohana towards south has been entirely dependent on Canal water irrigation because of brackish underground water. Lifeline of Canal irrigation is Western Jamuna Canal taking off from river Yamuna at Tajewala headworks in district Yamuna Nagar. It has a capacity of carrying 13000 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water. It runs full during 3 months of rainy season but only 2500 cusecs during remaining 9 months.Farmers face acute shortage during this period. What aggravates the the problem further are two secondary factors. Firstly, Haryana has to release 900 cusecs to Delhi. Secondly, many water supply schemes that were based on tubewells are now based on Canal water and a fair share of this flow goes to urban waterworks. For example, 9 tubewells at Badshahpur used to sustain the water supply system of Gurgaon till 1990. Now, because of population growth of Gurgaon to 25 lacs, 300 cusecs flow is diverted to Gurgaon waterworks alone. So very little amount of water is left for irrigation. Branch canals hardly run for 5 days in a cycle of 42 days.
As you know, backbone of rural economy is agri culture and backbone of agriculture is irrigation water. That is why Haryana farmer is crying more for irrigation water than any other thing else.
The main cause of this problem is that successive Chief Ministers of Haryana never bothered to store the huge rainfall run-off of river Yamuna which otherwise wastefully flows to the sea by building storage dams like Bhakra Dam. Sites were identified for building three dams across river Yamuna and it’s two tributaries named Tons and Giri long back. Had these dams been built in time, then farmers would not face water crisis of today.
Few years back, GOI took up the responsibility of building these dams but interstate wrangles cropped up. Nitin Gadkari Ji had a temporary charge of Jal Shaki ministry for 8 months and he had nearly solved those issues. But unfortunately, this department was given to other Ministers. Deputy Minister was Ambala MP Kataria Sahib. Now work is likely to start on Renuka Dam across river Giri. But it’s completion will generate only 7000 cusecs additional flow. The shortage problem will be solved only after the construction of two other dams namely Kesao and Lakhwar dams.
R.N.Malik