LAYYAH, Jan 6: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi will attend a briefing on the recently completed Thal Canal Remodelling Project in Layyah today (Sunday). The Rs2.5 billion project will increase the current water discharge from 7,500 cusec to 9,000 cusec in the canal to irrigate 600,000 acres in five districts.

The project will facilitate 4.5 million peasants in Layyah, Muzaffargarh, Bhakkar, Mianwali and Khushab. The canal will end the rotation system of irrigation by enhancing the current water discharge to 1,500 cusec.

The Thal Canal is a major irrigation artery which was completed 55 years ago to irrigate the Sindh Sagar Duaab area of Punjab.

Initially, the canal was to irrigate 1.4 million acres. Later, the water discharge was increased to 785 cusec to irrigate 1.6 million acres. With the passage of time, cultivated area reached 2.3 million acres which caused an acute water shortage. The second phase of the remodelling costing Rs7 billion will start shortly.

Besides the briefing, the chief minister will meet representative of various walks of life and address a public meeting during his one-day visit to the district. He will perform ground breaking ceremony of construction of a 125-bed ward at the Layyah District Headquarters Hospital.