Panjab Farmers Bear the Brunt of Canal Closure; Rajasthan Gets Water

Every year on the onset of summer, the Panjab Canal Irrigation Department stops water supply in the Sirhind Canal which provides water to about 15 canals of the region — Faridkot, Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Muktsar, and Fazilka. The canal is closed for about four weeks at the end of March. This year, without giving prior notice, the canal has been closed since 15 Mar for the department to carry out relining work on a 14-km patch of Sirhind feeder from Gurdittawala head to Faridkot. This has caused difficulties for farmers. On 18 Mar, farmers from Fazilka, protesting at the end point of Sukhchain Minor Canal announced they would jump into Gang Canal in Rajasthan to vent their anger. They were detained by cops and taken to the nearest police station, but were released later same day. Sukhchain Minor starts from Lambi area of Muktsar and it goes till Abohar (Fazilka). It too is closed for relining work. There has been no water supply in it for more than six weeks now and the closure of Sirhind feeder canal has only added to the woes of farmers. Farmers are also upset over AAP MLA Amandeep Singh Goldy Musafir on 17 Mar calling them ‘defaulters and blackmailers’ when they questioned the legislator on the shortage of water at an ongoing public function in Bahavwala village, Fazilka district. Farmers say these issues and the fact that the last monsoon Panjab flooded four times but did not release excess water in the Ganga Canal will put the AAP on the back foot when their leaders go for election campaigns in Malwa districts of Panjab, especially the constituencies of Bathinda and Ferozepur.