Canal shutdown amid 45°C heat leaves Punjab kinnow growers worried

Bathinda: A 10-day suspension of canal water supply in Punjab's kinnow-growing belt of Fazilka and Muktsar has left orchard owners worried, with citrus trees beginning to dry up amid an intense heatwave pushing temperatures close to 45°C.The Punjab water resources department has ordered the closure of the Abohar branch of the Sirhind feeder canal for cleaning ahead of paddy transplantation. Following this, the Abohar canal and groundwater division asked canal divisions at Abohar, Fazilka, Muktsar and Malout to make alternative arrangements by storing water for drinking purposes.Orchard owners and vegetable growers termed the timing of the closure "most inopportune", saying the cleaning should have been carried out in early April. Farmers said saline groundwater in Abohar and Muktsar was unsuitable for kinnow orchards and vegetables, making canal water their primary irrigation source.The Abohar branch and its distributaries had been running at full capacity of nearly 2,000 cusec before the shutdown, though there were complaints of contamination at Harike headworks.Farmers affiliated to BKU (Rajewal) met the executive engineer of the Abohar canal division, urging authorities not to stop water supply. "We are in dire need of canal water for both kinnows and vegetables. Vegetables need irrigation every third day, while kinnow orchards require watering every two-three weeks. Orchards where water was released over two weeks ago are now in urgent need of supply," said orchard owner Ajay Wadhwa.BKU (Rajewal) Fazilka district president Sukhmandar Singh said chief minister Bhagwant Mann and principal secretary (water resources) Krishan Kumar had assured farmers nearly a month ago that extra canal water would be provided to save orchards. "But now, when farmers are in dire need of canal water, supply is being stopped. This will impact farmers who tried to diversify from the traditional cropping pattern," he said.Abohar canal division executive engineer Sukhjit Singh said weeds had accumulated in the canal network after nearly two months of continuous operation. "These need to be cleaned to avoid any possible breach ahead of paddy transplantation. The canals could not be closed earlier due to cotton sowing and other reasons," he said.