CHANDIGARH: World Bank has approved technical and financial assistance (loan) of Rs 5,700 crore under the ‘Jal Sanrakshit Haryana Project’, with the objective of making the state self-reliant in the water sector. This came to light in a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister regarding the Jal Sanrakshit Haryana programme. The Chief Minister said that this amount will be disbursed in a phased manner over a period of six years, from 2026 to 2032. The funds will be utilised for large-scale works in the canal sector. He said that out of a total of 1,570 canals in the state, 892 canals have been restored over the past 20 years, and the restoration of the remaining 678 canals is proposed to be completed in the next five years. This includes restoration of 115 canals at a cost of Rs 2,325 crore with World Bank financial assistance, 284 canals at a cost of Rs 2,230 crore from the state budget, and 279 canals at a cost of Rs 2,880 crore through NABARD. The Chief Minister said that out of a total of 15,562 canal minors under MICADA, 4,487 minors have been restored over the past 20 years, and the remaining 1,961 minors are proposed to be restored over the next five years. This includes 400 canal minors at a cost of Rs 450 crore with World Bank assistance, 1,500 minors at a cost of Rs 1,250 crore from the state budget, and 61 minors at a cost of Rs 402 crore through NABARD.
In addition, with World Bank support of Rs 900 crore, micro-irrigation systems will be implemented over approximately 70,000 acres of agricultural land. The CM said that the Agriculture Department will develop tube-well-based drainage and surface drainage systems to resolve the problem of waterlogging in the remaining waterlogged areas of the state, covering approximately 2,00,000 acres of land.