Punjab raises canal water utilisation from 26 % to 80 %, irrigation coverage expands to 61 lakh acres: Barinder Goyal
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, October 23, 2026: Punjab has increased canal water utilisation from 26 per cent to 80 per cent and expanded the area receiving canal irrigation from 20.89 lakh acres to 61 lakh acres, Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal informed the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Friday.
Replying during Question Hour to a question raised by Baba Bakala MLA Dalbir Singh regarding canal water supply and the lining of watercourses in his constituency, Goyal said the state government had spent ₹7,500 crore on strengthening canal irrigation and improving water distribution across Punjab.
Providing details of the work in Baba Bakala constituency, the minister said concrete lining of 31.44 km of canals had been completed at a cost of ₹21.97 crore. The remaining stretch of approximately 77 km would be taken up in phases, subject to technical feasibility, priorities and the availability of funds.
Goyal said the canal network serving Baba Bakala originates from the Sabhraon Branch of the Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) system. The network comprises seven distributaries and five minors with a combined length of 108.71 km.
Responding to concerns regarding the Raiya, Nagoke, Bhinder and Ghaggar Bhana Rajbahas, he said these channels collectively serve approximately 28,540 acres of agricultural land. The remaining lining work would be undertaken in a phased manner to strengthen irrigation infrastructure and improve water delivery to farmers.
The minister said the government, under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, had focused on extending canal water supplies to tail-end areas to ensure that farmers could access irrigation closer to their fields.
Sharing further details, Goyal said canal flows in different distributaries in Baba Bakala during the Kharif season ranged from 100 per cent to 132.8 per cent of their respective capacities.
He also claimed that canal flows across Punjab had reached 40,000 cusecs for the first time, compared with an average capacity of around 26,000 cusecs before 2022.
The minister said the government was working towards ensuring that Punjab utilises its entire available share of canal water for agricultural needs, while continuing to strengthen the state’s irrigation network.