Longest irrigation canal network gets desilted after a decade

Bhilai, Aug 17:
Sipcona Irrigation Canal Distributary Network, which is known as one of the longest canal networks of the continent, has been made totally silt-free after more than a decade. After the completion of the construction work in the year 2008, it was not cleaned even once. The canal was getting filled up and choked with debris and gradually the canal network was unable to supply water to the fields. On the instructions of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, the Sipcona Canal Distributary Network was also taken up under the government’s mission to revitalise the unused irrigation projects. The de-silting of the 42 kilometre long patch of canal network was done through MGNREGA. Employment generation through MGNREGA was done on a large scale. The desiltation of the distributary branches gave life to the agricultural fields. Giving information about this project, Water Resources Department SDO, NR Verma said that the project of de-silting was done through MGNREGA in Balod and Durg districts. The work started under the guidance of Collector Dr Sarveshwar Narendra Bhure and was completed in a period of six months. He informed that the government has proposed an additional lining of 8 km patch in this year’s budget. The process of administrative approval is underway at the divisional level. A large number of farmers will be benefited from the additional lining work to be done at a cost of Rs 5 crore.
Water Resources Department Executive Engineer Suresh Pandey informed that as per the instructions of the Chief Minister, work is being done in the direction of improving irrigation facilities by identifying useful water resource structures for renovation. With improved irrigation facilities, the area under cultivation can be increased. He said that the drive to remove silt from the distributor canals has been launched on a war footing across the district. With this initiative, the distributaries of the canals have got Sanjeevani which were lying dead due to debris.
Sipcona Distributary Canal Network had the capacity of irrigating 13000 hectares of land. 17 minor canals emerge from the Sipcona Distributor branch canal. Of these, 2 minors and 2 sub minors emerge. The designed capacity of the canal system is 13704 hectares. Through this project, irrigation facilities can be provided in 1259 hectares of land in seven villages of Gundardehi and 10,252 hectares of land in 44 villages of Patan development block.