Sirhind Canal – Description | System and Facts

The Sirhind Canal is the construction of an irrigation canal that takes in the Sutlej River at Rupar. It starts at Ropar Headworks near the town of Ropar in Punjab’s Rupnagar district. The canal starts in Ropar and leads southwest to Doraha in the district of Ludhiana.

The construction of the Sirhind Canal was carried out in 1867 by the Department of Public Works in Punjab, and in 1882 consists of an extensive canal system that irrigates more than 5,200 square km (2,000 square miles) of farmland. The system’s headworks, where it draws its water, are on the Sutlej River at Ropar, near the border of Himachal Pradesh state. Investigations began into the opening of the irrigation canal that branches off from the Sutlej River at Rupar. The canal was built by the Indian government in cooperation with the states of Patiala, Nabha and Jind.

Sirhind Canal is a large irrigation canal which supplies water from the Sutlej River in the Indian state of Punjab. It is one of the oldest and largest irrigation systems in the Indus system and was inaugurated in 1882 AD and it consists of the northeastern part of the Jumna plain and the Sutlingj river, which is irrigated by the channel.

Also Read : Achyuta Deva Raya: The unknown king of Vijayanagara Empire

A Groundwater Model of Sirhind Canal

To understand spatial and temporal patterns of groundwater, a groundwater model of Sirhind Canal in Punjab was simulated with PMWIN. The model was calibrated for the period 1996-97 and 2000-01 and validated for the periods 2001-02 and 2005-06. Irrigation and precipitation costs were estimated using the GEC method in 1997. The seasonal supply of surface water and groundwater in the state of Punjab has led to an alarming decline in water levels.

Groundwater modelling plays a crucial role in assessing the region’s water resource potential. Coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICPMS) was used to measure the uranium and heavy metal content of water and groundwater samples from adjacent villages and collection points along the channel.

Sirhind Canal draws its water from the Sutlej River near Ropar on the border with the state of Himachal Pradesh through a system of head restraints. The upper reaches of the Rupar Canal are 62 km long and the canal is divided into two branches, with the combined branch running from the west to Patiala and the feeder from the east. The sewer administration is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the highly developed and widely used 14,500 km long sewer system with 5 head units.

Read More : Periyar River – Lifeline for Indigenous Settlements Kerala