BBMB asks Haryana to submit report on BML Hansi Bhutana canal

Patiala, Sep 11 (UNI) Haryana government will submit to Central Water Commission (CWC) an additional feasibility report within a week on 109-km-long Bhakhra Main Line-Hansi-Bhutana Branch Multipurpose canal, the dream project of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Engineer-in-chief of Haryana Irrigation department J.S. Ahalawat told UNI that one report had already been submitted to Bhakra Beas Management Borard and one more supplementary water study was likely to be submitted later this week.

Chairman of BBMB Rakesh Nath, had told newspersons on Friday at Chandigarh that BBMB had asked Haryana to submit feasibility report on the Rs 260 crore canal project aimed at ensuring equitable distribution of water in southern Haryana.

Mr Ahlawat also sought to counter all the objections to the ambitious canal, most of them put up by the Punjab government. The work on the ambitious canal project was expected to be completed by June 2007 and he hoped that in the meantime, the permission of puncturing of BML would be granted by the CWC.

He refuted the charges of Punjab that the canal would create blockage when passing the upper side of Ghaggar in Patiala district.

Haryana has made three siphons on Ghaggar having the provision of 1,6,2000 cusecs water, he said.

He ruled out the possibility of floods and pointed out that floods had occurred in 1993 as the siphons had only 100000 cusecs water capacity but now the siphons were made for the discharge of almost double the capacity.

Mr Ahalawat said Haryana will draw only its own share of 1.62 MAF which was given to the state after 1976 while Punjab has been taking it share already. The CWC had allowed Haryana to submit detailed water study on canal and it could not hamper any interests of Punjab and Rajasthan, he added.

He added a study of canals in Punjab indicated that Patiala and Sangrur districts had faced the floods due to narrow siphon at Khnaouri in Sangrur district where siphon were made for 45,000 cusecs capacity only.

Mr Ahalawat said the work was going on at a fast pace, as the Haryana government planned to have water flowing in the canal by the next monsoon session. The plan was to draw around 2200 cusecs of water for the new canal from Narwana branch of the Bakhra Man Line (BML).

While the work on the canal started last year, the Haryana Government moved an application seeking permission from BBMB on July 11 this year. The BBMB regulates the flow of water in the BML, dividing it among Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi.

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