Patna, Jan. 30: The Central Water Commission (CWC) has sanctioned Rs 1,800 crore for the extension of Gandak canal. The new stretch would irrigate lands in Muzaffarpur, Samastipur and Vaishali districts.

The decision to sanction the funds for the expansion project was taken in a meeting of the advisory committee of the Union ministry of water resources, convened in New Delhi a few days back.

Water resources minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary told The Telegraph: “Funds worth Rs 1,800 crore has been sanctioned by CWC for extending the canal. The new stretch will provide irrigation to 1.22 lakh hectares of land in three districts, including Muzaffarpur, Samastipur and Vaishali. The fund has been sanctioned under Eastern Gandak Canal Renovation and Extension Project, also called Gandak canal phase 2.”

Choudhary said: “The project will be a boon for the farmers as they will be able to irrigate their land from the canal water. At present, they are dependent on the boring for watering their land. But that is not sufficient for farming. We had requested the CWC to release the funds for the extension of Gandak canal after learning about the farmers’ problems because of water shortage in those areas.”

Talking about the benefits after the completion of the project, the water resources minister said: “The land in Muzaffarpur, Samastipur and Vaishali is very fertile. Major crops are produced there. But the agriculture produce is below expectations because of water shortage. The water of the extended canal would address this issue.”

The detailed project report (DPR) for the canal expansion work is ready. “The water resources department has completed the DPR and the work on the project is likely to start in the next three months. We have also formed a team of district land acquisition officers. They are co-ordinating with the people of the area through which the extended canal would pass because land acquisition becomes a major problem in most of the projects.”

At present, the Gandak canal water is available to farmers in Hajipur, East Champaran, West Champaran, Siwan and Gopalganj, said Choudhary.

The minister said the water resources department was gearing up for irrigation and flood management system. “At least 30 lakh hectares of land in Bihar is flood-prone. Construction of embankments is the only technical way to stop flood. We have plans to secure 15 lakh hectares of land from flood in five years. These are steps being taken to create the potential for agriculture in the state and extension of the Gandak canal is one of it.”

The water resources minister said: “Apart from extending the Gandak canal, I have also instructed all the engineers to identify the fresh sites where water is available for irrigation. Those sites can include small rivers and ponds. So far they have identified 14 such sites in different districts, including Rohtas.”