SRINAGAR: In a serious push for water safety and agricultural revival, the Ladakh administration has begun diverting practically 90 million litres of glacier-melt water day-after-day into the Igoo-Phey Irrigation Canal, which serves practically 12 villages and can increase irrigation of greater than 1,000 acres of land.
The water from Stok village Nallah in Leh was earlier flowing unused into the Indus. The administration has now channelised a part of the move into the present canal utilizing easy earthwork, with none capital expenditure, an official stated.
Ladakh has ample glacier and snowmelt assets, however a number of areas have confronted irrigation shortages. Lt Governor V Ok Saxena recognized areas the place giant portions of glacier water have been flowing into the Indus and initiated efforts to divert the water for agricultural use.
“On the instructions of LG on August 14, the Irrigation and Flood Management Division efficiently diverted extra glacier water from the principle water channel of Nallah to the Igoo-Phey Canal by creating two trenches utilizing a JCB,” the official stated.
The discharge from Stok Nallah was assessed at round 36.60 cusecs, equal to just about 90 million litres in 24 hours. Two diversions have been created to channel an extra 26 cusecs into the Igoo-Phey Canal — 19 cusecs in direction of Igoo village and 7 cusecs in direction of Phey village. Planning is beneath approach to utilise the remaining 10 cusecs.
The 43-km Igoo-Phey Canal was constructed between 1979 and 2005. About 200 metres of the canal was constructed underground to permit Stok Nallah water to cross over it with out affecting the canal’s move.
Regardless of the supply of the water supply, the canal remained wanting water for many years and have become defunct in some components.
“By intercepting and utilising this every day move of 90 million litres, the administration has confirmed the feasibility of large-scale water diversion to bolster the area’s chilly desert agriculture. Crucially, this intervention will considerably increase the full water move within the Igoo-Phey Canal, rising it from the current 50 cusecs to just about 80 cusecs,” the official stated.
