Ghaziabad: Certain parts of Noida and Ghaziabad will not get Ganga water for at least 20 days beginning Saturday as shutters at Haridwar have been closed for the annual cleaning up of the Upper Ganga Canal.
The sand carried by Ganga water gets deposited on the canal bed reducing its carrying capacity. Therefore, the canal has to be cleaned up every year. The canal bed has to be completely dry before removal of sand can start. The drying up takes three days after the shutters are closed. The canal takes three days to get completely filled up after water is released into it. Removal of sand takes another two weeks.
Elaborating its importance A.P.Singh, superintending engineer of irrigation department, said an irrigation system was felt necessary after a disastrous famine in 1837-38 in which nearly ten million rupees was spent on relief works. Digging of the canal began in April 1842 and the canal formally opened on 8 April 1854.
The main channel was 560 kilometres long, its branches 492 kilometres long, and the various tributaries over 4,800 kilometres long. After irrigation commenced in May 1855, over 767,000 acres in 5,000 villages were irrigated. Now this canal is catering to the drinking water needs of the national capital and the NCR region towns of Ghaziabad and Noida.
“We have decided to start cleansing operations simultaneously in each district from Haridwar to its tail so that work is completed within the stipulated time,” said Executive Engineer Ravinder Yadav of Ghaziabad division.