Severe water crisis affects W Raj as IG canal closure extended

Jaipur: Western Rajasthan’s water crisis has deepened after the Punjab govt extended the closure of the Indira Gandhi Canal, disrupting supplies to several districts already reeling under extreme heat. With temperatures rising above 45 degrees Celsius and no rainfall, officials say demand for drinking water and irrigation has surged sharply.

Public Health Engineering Department officials are struggling to manage the growing shortage in Barmer, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Hanumangarh and Sriganganagar districts. The disruption has hit both urban and remote areas, where supply intervals have widened and tanker availability is inadequate.

According to senior officials of Department of Water Resources, the crisis worsened because desilting work on the canal took longer than expected. “Finally, the Punjab govt started releasing water from Thursday and on Friday around 7,000 cusecs of the allotted 10,000 cusecs of water started entering Rajasthan. For districts like Jodhpur and Barmer located further down normalcy is expected to restore by May 20 or 21,” the engineer stated.

Even with partial restoration, downstream districts continue to face severe stress. “There are areas in Barmer where we used to supply water on alternative days. Now the waiting period is almost four to five days. We don’t have enough tankers to cater to remote and last mile locations. Locals have already demonstrated at a few PHED circle offices,” stated a PHED official.

The Indira Gandhi Canal is the lifeline of 12 districts in Rajasthan. The prolonged disruption has exposed the region’s vulnerability during peak summer season.