Dadupur Nalvi canal to water southern Haryana

CHANDIGARH: There's good news for people living the arid regions of Haryana.
Southern Haryana, particularly the areas bordering Rajasthan, are all set to have a three-stage and unlined Dadupur Nalvi irrigation canal.
The canal which will cover 375 kms will benefit at least 2,500 villages and 18 lakh people living in this part of the state. The Rs 265 crore project will be completed in three phases and the final one will be accomplished in 2009.
Official figures suggest that 25 per cent of the canal irrigated area in the state is receiving 67 per cent of the available surface water, while the remaining 75 per cent area gets only 25 per cent of the water.
Haryana has just one perennial river, Yamuna, which irrigates the state���s eastern borders . The western and southern parts remain unirrigated.
The existing schedule of irrigation water supply through canal system in Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar and Jind districts is 192 days per-year and in 14 districts of southern Haryana it is only 96 days in a year.
After completion of the canals, the state government will be in a position to ensure an average flow of canal water for 250 days-per-year across the state.
Due to excessive availability of canal water, paddy was being grown in Sirsa and Fatehabad districts despite their agro-climatic conditions and soil nutrients not being suitable for the crop.
Perpetual water drainage problems in the flood-prone areas around Gulha, Cheeka, Kaithal, Rajound and Assandh are also expected to be solved, resulting in saving of funds.
Further, Hansi-Butana link channel will be completed in October, 2007. This will facilitate pumping of additional water in the parched fields before the next rabi crops sown in November.
At present, Haryana is getting only 14 MAF million acre feet of water from all sources whereas the demand is for 36 (MAF) of water.