The Lower Bari Doab Canal is a canal in Punjab, Pakistan.[1] Part of the part of the second-largest irrigation system of the province, it serves approximately 275,000 farmsteads. It is located south-west of Lahore and runs alongside the River Ravi.[2]
| Lower Bari Doab Canal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Punjab |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 201 km (125 miles) |
History edit
Lower Bari Doab Canal was commissioned in 1914, off-taking from Balloki Barrage, whereas the barrage itself was constructed in 1911–13.[3][2] The canal was remodeled in 1985-88 and then again in 2014–18.[4] The canal was formally inaugurated by Governor of the Punjab Sir William Malcolm Hailey on 12 April 1912. Subsidiary canal off-taking from the main canal were designed by Sir Ganga Ram to irrigate his 50,000 acres of land in Sahiwal District of the Punjab.[5] Sir Ganga Ram incidentally also built a power station on the main canal near the town of Renala Khurd in 1925. The power station had five generators delivering a total of 1.1 mega watt electricity.
Current status edit
The canal has been rehabilitated as part of a mega project funded by the Asian Development Fund[6] and implemented by the Lower Bari Doab Canal Improvement Project of the Punjab Irrigation Department in 2014–18. The 201 km-long canal along with 2,264 km of distribution channels irrigates 700,000 hectares of land of Okara, Pakpattan, Sahiwal, and Khanewal districts.[4] The remodeling project also enhanced the flood management of the Balloki Barrage from 2,25,000 cusecs to 2,60,000 cusecs.
References edit
- ^ "Figure 1. Map of study area (Sahiwal and Khanewal) and Lower Bari Doab..." ResearchGate. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
- ^ a b "Lower Bari Doab Canal Improvement Project - LBDCIP". 2012-07-05. Archived from the original on 5 July 2012. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
- ^ "Punjab Irrigated Agriculture Investment Program" (PDF). Asian Development Bank.
- ^ a b Mahmood, Amjad (2017-07-03). "Lower Bari Doab Canal project operational". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
- ^ Rashid, Salman (1 April 2015). "Lower Bari Doab Canal, Boundless Magnanimity". Salman Rashid Blog.
- ^ "Punjab Irrigated Agriculture Investment Program" (PDF). Asian Development Fund.