Details

Category: ENVIRONMENT

Published: 11 April 2020

JAMMU: The Government has substantially completed desilting work in all main canals across Jammu region, even as the authorities have decided to release the water by April end. As per Irrigation and Flood Control Department, over three lakh cubic meter of silt/mulba has been cleared from the major canals in the region so far. The Irrigation and Flood Control Department has taken up an extensive exercise for clearing mulba from these canals.

“After assessing the ground situation in consultation with   farmers’ representatives, Water user groups, PRI members and the Agriculture department, the Irrigation and Flood Control department has decided to postpone the release of water in the canals to the last week of April” the department said in a handout out.

The Department usually releases the waters in the Ranbir Canal and other irrigation canals of Jammu division on the eve of Baisakhi i.e. 13th/14th of April. “However, due to COVID-19 pandemic, no congregation is being organized this year and also due to no demand for water for irrigation, the release of water has been postponed” it added.

The department said that the field officers have reported that there is no requirement of water by the farmers at this stage, as during previous months there was adequate rainfall and no harvesting of crops has taken place so far. “The farmers may still take at least one to two weeks for harvesting the Rabi crop. Rather apprehension of damage to standing crop has been raised in case the water is released in the canals in April” the department informed.

Meanwhile, extensive work of desilting and deep cleaning of canals in all the areas is currently in full swing amid restrictions due to COVID-19 breakout. Jammu region has a vast network of canals of around 3000 km under major, medium and minor category alone, excluding the zamindari khuls and field channels. Ranbir Canal, New Pratap Canal, Ranajn Canal, Tawi Lift Canal, Paragwal Canal, Kathua Canal and Ravi Canals are the main canal systems of Jammu region, which provide irrigation to lakhs of farmers in 842 villages, irrigating over 1 lakh hectare area.

These canals get filled with mulba deposition especially due to high silt content in the waters of Chenab, Tawi and Ravi rivers. Besides, the Irrigation department also faces the challenge of illegal disposal of waste in the canal as a large part of the Ranbir canal crosses the Jammu city. The canals also require clearance of shrub growths on berms for ensuring smooth flow of water during irrigation season for which Irrigation & FC department undertakes annual desilting of canals during Feb-April every year.

During the current year, the department initiated many reforms to ensure deep cleaning of canals and ensure transparency in desilting work. Earlier the whole work was fragmented in very small works and around 800 tenders were being floated. Unlike previous year practice of taking small works, this year the contracts were clubbed and to ensure transparency, the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Municipal Committee members were involved for regular monitoring of the desilting works.

All Executive Engineers have been asked to maintain  Daily Progress Register, which is being checked by Chief Engineer/SEs and Block Development Council members regularly. The CE has also constituted Block/Ward wise committees for regular monitoring of the desilting work and also preventing the disposal of waste material in the canals.

The DDCs have also been asked to form District/Sub-District level Committees to monitor the progress of desilting regularly. Higher authorities are also monitoring the work through physical inspection and also through geo-tagged and time-stamped Photographs and videos of works being done.

To ensure continuous sanitation and protect the canal water from contamination, the municipal and panchayat authorities have also been asked to ensure diversion of drainage being disposed of in the canal and making proper garbage collection and disposal in the areas around the canals to prevent garbage dumping by people in canals. More than 1500 notices have also been issued to various individual and agencies for the dumping of household waste, garbagein the canal.