LAHORE, Jan 18: The Punjab Irrigation Department has achieved 24 per cent progress during the first six months of the current fiscal year.
According to official record, at present 46 development projects are under way. The total cost of the projects was Rs1,600 million. Out of it, the provincial government had to contribute Rs1.01 billion and Rs590 million by the different donors.
The main projects for the year included Lift Irrigation Scheme on the BRB canal near Lahore. It would benefit 25 villages on the left bank of the canal situated in the border area. The total cost of the project was estimated at Rs315, and allocation for the current year Rs100 million. Out of it, Rs50 million have been spent on the project so far.
Restoration and improvement of banks of Marala-Ravi (MR) link canal is another important project. Out of Rs200 million total cost, current year allocation was Rs40 million.
Improvement and Rehabilitation of Structure along the MR canal is another big project undertaken by department.
The original capacity of the canal was 22,000 cusecs which was reduced to 12,000 owing to continued silting up of it. After the competition of the repair works, the department hopes to restore the original capacity.
It would improve supplies to the southern Punjab, as water is transferred from Marala to Baloki headworks to Sulemanki and Bahawalnagar.
Restoration of banks of BRBD canal is also under way at the total cost of Rs189 million.
All these projects, on the average, have been completed by 24 per cent on both expenditure and developmental accounts.
A few other projects, which were in the pipeline include the remodelling of the Thal canal. But the project has been lying with the federal government since February last, and is still to be cleared by it.
Another Rs30 billion project of repair work of the six barrages has been sent to the Planning and Development (P&D) for the final approval. The department hopes that it would return to it in February and consultants be appointed in March. But, the actual work would only start next year as the government had made no allocations for the year.