Indira-Gandhi Canal

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Indira Gandhi Canal at Lohgarh , Haryana
Indira-Gandhi Canal at Bikaner , Rajasthan

The Indira Gandhi canal with a length of about 650 km of one of the most costly sewer construction projects in India and throughout Asia. Originally called the Rajasthan Channel , the channel was renamed after her after the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1985. Since the canal runs almost uniformly at a distance of 40 to 45 km east of the border with Pakistan, it also forms an important strategic line of defense to the neighboring country to the west.

course

The Indira Gandhi Canal begins at a height of approx. 210 m above sea level. d. M. at the confluence of the river Beas in the Sutlej in the Harike reservoir ( Harike Barrage ) in the Indian part of the Punjab . From there it runs with an exceptionally slight gradient in a south-westerly direction through the state of Haryana to the districts of Jaisalmer and Barmer in the state of Rajasthan .

history

The idea of ​​diverting and utilizing river water from the water-rich Punjab into the (semi) desert-like areas of Rajasthan and Pakistan emerged as early as the late 1940s. After the partition of India in 1947, the project was initially not pursued any further. It was not until 1960 that both countries agreed, through the mediation of the World Bank, on the Indus Water Treaty , which granted the sole right of use of the three eastern rivers ( Ravi , Beas and Sutlej) of the five- rivers country ( punjab ) India, but which made compensation payments to Pakistan for the current absence of water in the lower reaches of the Indus .

Plans and execution

A construction in two construction phases was planned: The northern feeder section should have a length of 204 km; it should not be used for irrigation purposes. The southern section should be 445 km long with a total of around 3600 km long side channels. The main canals were designed with a width of approx. 43 m (or 35 m at the bottom) and a depth of 6.5 m; no uniform dimension was specified for the side channels. The first phase of construction should have been completed in 1963, but the project came to a standstill after a short time due to planning errors, lack of money and corruption . In 1970 it was resumed on a larger scale - the planned total length of all main and side canals was now 9245 km. The first construction phase was completed in 1983, the second construction phase has now also been completed; today the approx. 650 km long main canal irrigates usable areas of approx. 5000 km² with a target of approx. 6800 km².

Problems

In order to counteract sand drifts and thus too rapid silting up of the canal, bushes and trees were planted at the edges of the main and side canals. Oilseed rape , mustard , cotton and wheat now grow on the formerly (semi) desert-like areas , but there is already talk of environmental problems as a result of increasing soil salinization due to the rise in the water table. Even mosquitoes and wild boars have become numerous; The former are malaria vectors in a desert area that has been virtually disease-free for centuries, the latter devastating the fields. Also, land speculation and corruption have gained ground.

Web links

Commons : Indira Gandhi Canal  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ The figures given below differ significantly depending on the source.