Punjab govt to desilt 15,300-mile canals network

The Punjab government has granted approval for the desilting of a vast canal network, spanning over 15,300 miles across the province.

The decision was finalised during a meeting chaired by the caretaker chief minister after detailed discussions on Monday.

The meeting was attended by the chairman of Planning and Development, along with the secretaries of the Irrigation, Agriculture, and Mines departments.

The chief minister directed the concerned officials to develop a precise methodology for the extensive desilting initiative, marking a significant effort after a decade.

Expressing his vision, the chief minister emphasised that the successful completion of the desilting campaign would facilitate water access to three to four hundred thousand acres of agricultural land.

Read Canals to be desilted after a decade

Providing an overview of the decade-awaited desilting initiative, Secretary of Irrigation Wasif Khursheed disclosed that the inaugural phase would involve the closure of Mangla Dam canals from December 26 to January 13.

In the second phase, Tarbela Dam canals would be closed from January 13 to January 31.

The desilting campaign, set to commence on December 26, will unfold in three planned phases following the canal closures in Punjab.

The formal inauguration is scheduled for early January across the entire province.

Utilising the capabilities of the Land Information Management System (LIMS), a satellite depiction of the desilting progress will be available.

This data, accessible on the Irrigation Monitoring App daily at 10:00 am, promises transparent and accountable tracking of the undertaking.

In a concerted effort to combat illegal water diversion channels, law enforcement, represented by the police, is prepared to register cases and initiate appropriate actions during the desilting campaign.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2023.