India is called an agricultural country and the economy here has been based on farming and farming. The prosperity of farming always depends on the availability of water. In desert areas where the rain is very low and the lack of water has been a major challenge for centuries, the irrigation system through canals brought revolution. The western region of Rajasthan, once called only desert and drought-hit region, today appears green. The credit for this change is to the Indira Gandhi Canal, India’s longest canal. It has become the support of the lives of millions of farmers of Rajasthan and Haryana, not just a canal. Let’s know the entire history of this canal, the story of its construction and the journey to date.

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How did the dream of Indira Gandhi Canal come true?

Western Rajasthan continued to struggle with water shortage for centuries. The land here was barren and dry, where farming was almost impossible. In 1948, when the work on the canal projects of Sardar Sarovar Dam and Punjab was going on, scientists and engineers suggested that the desert can be made green by bringing the Sutlej and Beas rivers originating from Ferozepur district of Punjab to Rajasthan. In 1958, the first blueprint of this ambitious project was prepared and it was called the first Rajasthan Canal Project. Later, it was named Indira Gandhi Canal Project (IGNP) after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Start and first stage of construction

The construction of the Indira Gandhi Canal started in 1958. Its first phase was officially launched in 1961. The construction of this 649 km long canal was extremely challenging, as it was not easy to make the canal durable in desert areas. The scorching heat, sandy storms and lack of land moisture forced engineers to adopt new techniques repeatedly. Harike Barrage, Sutlej and Beas are located at the confluence of rivers. From there this water was transported to the desert areas of Rajasthan.

Second phase and expansion

The second phase began after the success of the first phase of the canal. In this phase, the canal was connected to more districts and its length was increased to about 9500 km. This expansion made a large part of Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Nagaur, Jodhpur and Barmer districts of Rajasthan irrigation.

Importance of canal

The Indira Gandhi Canal has brought a radical change in the social and economic life of western Rajasthan.
Revolution in farming – Earlier, where only low water crops like millet and guar were grown, now cash crops like wheat, gram, mustard, cotton and sugarcane are starting to be widespread.
Population growth – Due to the facility of irrigation, people left the desert and started returning. Thousands of families settled new settlements around the canal.
Sahara to animal husbandry – Animal husbandry of Rajasthan also strengthened due to this canal. Milk production increased manifold due to availability of water and fodder.
Economic Development – Canal accelerated the rural economy. Agricultural -based industries, mandis and business activities increased rapidly.

Technical challenges

Many challenges were faced in the construction and maintenance of such a large canal project.
Due to the sandy soil, the canal walls were at risk of repeated breakdown.
The canal walls had to be confirmed with concrete to prevent water appearance.
Land quality was affected due to increase in saltwater level.
The problem of waterlogging also arose in many areas, which drainage projects were run to overcome.

Indira Gandhi Canal and Politics

The canal was named on Indira Gandhi, as it expanded and an ambitious form in her tenure. Even today, this canal is mentioned in the politics of Rajasthan. Water splitting, canal repair and maintenance has been becoming an election issue for farmers. Haryana also gets water from this canal, but disputes also arose from time to time in Rajasthan and Haryana over water sharing.

Achievements so far

Today Indira Gandhi Canal is the largest and longest canal project in India.
Its total length is about 649 km (main canal) and about 9500 km including branches.
It provides irrigation to about 2 million hectares of land.
The population of areas connected to the canal has increased manifold.
Ganganagar district of Rajasthan is now being called “Punjab of India”, because the cultivation of wheat and cotton here is similar to Punjab.

Future challenges and possibilities

The Indira Gandhi Canal has given a new life to Rajasthan, but there are some new challenges in front of it.
The availability of water is decreasing – the flow of water in the rivers of Punjab and Himachal is decreasing.
Climate change – Rain patterns are changing, which can increase pressure on the canal.
Waterlogging and land salinity – land is deteriorating in many places, which can affect farming.
Need to modernize-It is necessary to upgrade the structure of the canal from time to time.
The government is now working towards connecting this canal project with modern techniques and making the use of water more effective.