Pakistan has one of the largest man-made canal systems in the world providing irrigation facilities to 48 million acres. [1] Canal network of Pakistan consists of Main Canals, Branch Canals, Link Canals, Major distributaries, Minor distributaries, and Watercourses or Field Channels. [2]
Main Canal: A principal channel off-taking directly from a river or reservoir which has discharge capacity of above 25 cubic meter/sec (cumecs) is called Main Canal or Main Line. These Canals are not used for direct irrigation. They drive water from the river/ reservoir through head regulator and feed it to Branch Canals and Major distributaries.
Branch Canal: They take-off water from Main Canal and feed the Major and Minor distributaries. They are also not used for direct irrigation. Their discharge capacity usually ranges from 5-25 cubic meter/second.
Link Canal: These Canals are meant to Transfer Water of three Western Rivers, namely Chenab, Jhelum and Indus to the canals dependent on the three Eastern Rivers, namely Sutlej, Beas and Ravi.
Some of the notable canals of Pakistan are listed here. [1] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Name | Off-take Point | River | Length (Km) | Designed Head Discharge (cusecs) | Cultivable Command Area (Acres) | Objectives | Completion Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Greater Thal Canal | Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal | Indus | 35 | 8,500 | 355,000 | Irrigation of Land in Khushab Bhakkar and Layyah Districts of Punjab. | 2009 (Phase I) |
Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal | Chashma Barrage | Indus | 21,700 | n/a | Divert water from River Indus to River Jehlum to meet the requirement of the canals off-taking at Trimmu Barrage on river Jehlum. | 1971 | |
Chashma Right Bank Canal | Chashma Barrage | Indus | 272 | 1,800 | 267,666 | Irrigation of lands in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa & Punjab. | 2003 |
Thal Canal Upper | Jinnah Barrage | Indus | 50 | 9,000 | 2,115,931 | Irrigation of Land in Khushab, Bhakkar and Mianwali Districts of Punjab. | 1949 |
Lower Bari Doab Canal | Balloki Headworks | Ravi | 212 | 9,292 | 1,845,974 | Irrigates land of Okara, Pakpattan, Sahiwal, and Khanewal districts. | 1914 |
Balloki Sulemanki Link Canal | Balloki Barrage | Ravi | 85 | 24,500 | n/a | It originates from Balloki Barrage on River Ravi and connects with the River Sutlej at Sulemanki Barrage. | |
Sidhnai Canal | Sidhnai Headworks | Ravi | 50 | 4,005 | 831,369 | ||
Sidhnai Mailsi Bahawal Link Canal | Sidhnai Headworks | Ravi | 119 | 11,300 | n/a | Feeds water of River Ravi to River Sutlej. | |
Lower Bahawal Canal | Sidhnai Mailsi Bahawal Link Canal | Ravi | 76 | 6,730 | 771,000 | ||
Upper Depalpur Canal | BRBD Link Canal | Ravi | 66 | 2,380 | 345,000 | ||
Lower Depalpur Canal | Balloki Sulemanki Link Canal | Ravi | 8 | 2,360 | 450,500 | ||
Marala Ravi Link Canal | Marala Barrage | Chenab | 101 | 22,000 | 154,987 | Originates from Marala Barrage and transfers the water of Chenab to Ravi. | 1956 |
Upper Chenab Canal | Marala Barrage | Chenab | 42 | 16,850 | 1,210,700 | Irrigates the lands of Gujranwala, Kamoke, Muridke and Sheikhupura. | 1912 |
Lower Chenab Canal | Khanki Barrage | Chenab | 64 | 8,143 | 3,400,000 | Irrigation of land in Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Sheikhupura, Nanakana Sahib, Faisalabad, Jhang and Toba Tek Singh. | 1898 |
Haveli Main Line | Trimmu Barrage | Chenab | 69 | 7,375 | 1,024,000 | Irrigates the lands of Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Muzaffargarh, Khanewal, Multan | |
Rangpur Canal | Trimmu Barrage | Chenab | 103 | 2,710 | 230,000 | Irrigates the lands of Jhang, Muzaffargarh | |
Trimmu Sidhnai Link Canal | Trimmu Barrage | Chenab | 69 | 12,500 | n/a | Transfers water from Trimmu Barage in to the Ravi River. | |
Qadirabad Balloki Link Canal | Qadirabad Barrage | Chenab | 127 | 2,5000 | n/a | It is an extension of Rasul-Qadirabad Link Canal by which the water is transferred to the Ravi river. | |
Punjnad Canal | Punjnad Barrage | Chenab | 92 | 10,484 | 1,421,000 | ||
Abbasia Link Canal | Punjnad Barrage | Chenab | 76 | 5,600 | n/a | ||
Abbasia Canal | Punjnad Barrage | Chenab | 71 | 1,394 | 251,000 | ||
Upper Jhelum Canal | Mangla Reservoir | Jehlum | 142 | 8,975 | 535,000 | Irrigate the plains of Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin. Provide its surplus water to the lower Chenab Canal. | 1916 |
Lower Jhelum Canal | Rasul Barrage | Jehlum | 63 | 5,280 | 1,453,000 | Its command area includes the greater part of Chaj Doab – Sargodha, Mandi Bahauddin and Jhang districts in Punjab. | 1904 |
Jalalpur Canal | Rasul Barrage | Jehlum | 117 | 175,000 | Irrigate the land in Jhelum and Khushab Districts. | 2023 | |
Rasul-Qadirabad Link Canal | Rasul Barrage | Jehlum | 47 | 19,000 | n/a | It carries water from Rasul Barrage on River Jhelum to the River Chenab. | |
Bahawal Canal | Islam Barrage | Sutlej | 16 | 2,740 | 52,023 | ||
Fordwah Canal | Sulemanki Barrage | Sutlej | 13 | 3,447 | 430,112 | ||
Eastern Sadiqia Canal | Sulemanki Barrage | Sutlej | 79 | 6,820 | 1,075,000 | Irrigate the land of Nili bar. | |
Upper Pakpattan Canal | Sulemanki Barrage | Sutlej | 182 | 5,508 | 961,158 | Irrigates the lands of Okara, Pakpattan, Vehari, Lodhran. | |
Lower Pakpattan Canal | Sidhnai Mailsi Bahawal Link Canal | Sutlej | 214 | 1,160 | 308,568 | Irrigates the lands of Vehari, Lodhran, Multan. | |
Qaim Canal | Islam Headworks | Sutlej | 11 | 483 | 52,797 | ||
Kachhi Canal | Taunsa Barrage | Indus | 399 | 6,000 | 72,000 | Irrigation of Land in District Dera Bugti, Balochistan. | 2017 |
DG Khan Canal | Taunsa Barrage | Indus | 111 | 8,900 | 901,981 | ||
Taunsa Punjnad Link Canal | Taunsa Barrage | Indus | 61 | 1,200 | 2,000,000 | Carries water from Taunsa on the Indus River to the Chenab river to feed the Punjab canals. | |
Muzaffargarh Canal | Taunsa Barrage | Indus | 119 | 8,901 | 838,380 |
Name | Off-take Point | River | Designed Head Discharge (cusecs) | Cultivable Command Area (Acres) | Objectives | Completion Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rainee Canal | Guddu Barrage | Indus | 5,155 | 113,690 | Irrigation of Land in District Ghotki of Sindh. | 2014 |
Ghotki Canal | Guddu Barrage | Indus | 8,490 | |||
Pat Feeder Canal | Guddu Barrage | Indus | Irrigate areas in the Nasirabad and Jafarabad districts of Balochistan. | 1963 | ||
Desert Pat Feeder | Guddu Barrage | Indus | 13,275 | Irrigation of Land in Naseerabad, Jaffarabad, Sohbatpur and Jhal Magsi. | ||
Begari Sindh Feeder | Guddu Barrage | Indus | 14,764 | |||
Nara Canal | Sukkur Barrage | Indus | 13,649 | 2,300,000 | It is the longest canal of Pakistan. This Canal caters for an area of 2.3 million acres which is nearly equivalent to the entire Sindh area settled on Guddu Barrage alone. | 1858 |
Rohri Canal | Sukkur Barrage | Indus | 10,887 | 2,600,000 | Cotton, wheat and sugar-cane are the main crops grown on this canal system. | |
Nasrat Canal (Sada Wah) [7] | Sukkur Barrage | Indus | ||||
Khairpur East Canal | Sukkur Barrage | Indus | 2,094 | |||
Khairpur West Canal | Sukkur Barrage | Indus | 1,940 | |||
North Western Canal | Sukkur Barrage | Indus | 5,152 | 965,000 | ||
Rice Canal | Sukkur Barrage | Indus | 10,658 | It is a seasonal canal which flows only in kharif season and is designed for rice cultivation in Larkana and surrounding districts. | ||
Dadu Canal | Sukkur Barrage | Indus | 3,150 | 1,300,000 | It cultivates the fields of paddy, vegetable and cotton crops in Sindh. | |
Fuleli Canal | Kotri Barrage | Indus | 14,859 | |||
Kalri Canal | Kotri Barrage | Indus | 9,000 | |||
Pinyari Canal | Kotri Barrage | Indus | 13,636 | |||
Akram Wah Canal | Kotri Barrage | Indus | 4,100 |
Name | Off-take Point | River | Designed Head Discharge (cusecs) | Cultivable Command Area (Acres) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Upper Swat Canal | Amandara Headworks | Swat | 3,600 | 281,000 |
Lower Swat Canal | Munda Headworks | Swat | 1,940 | 134,500 |
Pehur Main Canal | Tarbela Reservoir | Indus | 250 | 44,888 |
Pehur High Level Canal | Tarbela Reservoir | Indus | 1000 | 10,531 |
Warsak Canal | Warsak Dam | Kabul | 595 | 107,414 |
Kabul River Canal | Warsak Dam | Kabul | 800 | 72,000 |
The Mangla Dam is a multipurpose dam situated on the Jhelum River in the Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is the sixth-largest dam in the world. The village of Mangla, which sits at the mouth of the dam, serves as its namesake. In November 1961, the project's selected contractors were revealed; it was announced that Binnie & Partners, a British engineering firm, was going to serve as the lead designers, engineers, and inspectors for the construction of the dam. The project was undertaken by a consortium known as the Mangla Dam Contractors, which consisted of eight American construction firms sponsored by the Guy F. Atkinson Company based in South San Francisco, California.
Tarbela Dam is an earth-filled dam along the Indus River in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It is located mainly in the Swabi District Tehsil Topi of the province. It is about 20 km (10 mi) from the city of Swabi KPK, 105 km (65 mi) northwest of Islamabad, and 125 km (80 mi) east of Peshawar. It is the largest earth-filled dam in the world. The dam is 143 metres (470 ft) high above the riverbed and its reservoir, Tarbela Lake, has a surface area of approximately 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi).
Sukkur Barrage is a barrage on the River Indus near the city of Sukkur in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The barrage was built during the British Raj from 1923 to 1932 and was named Lloyd Barrage. The Sukkur Barrage, is the pride of Pakistan's irrigation system as it is the largest single irrigation network of its kind in the world. It irrigates from Sukkur district in the north, to Mirpurkhas/Tharparkar and Hyderabad districts in the south of Sindh, almost all parts of the province. It is situated about 500 kilometres northeast of Karachi, 5 kilometres below the railway bridge, or the Sukkur Gorge. The introduction of barrage-controlled irrigation system resulted in more timely water supplies for the existing cultivated areas of Sindh province of Pakistan.
Guddu Barrage is a barrage on the Indus River near Kashmore in the Sindh province of Pakistan. President Iskander Mirza laid the foundation-stone of Guddu Barrage on 2 February 1957. The barrage was completed in 1962 at a cost of 474.8 million rupees and inaugurated by Field Marshal Ayub Khan in 1962.
Gomal Zam Dam is a multi-purpose gravity dam in South Waziristan Tribal District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The dam impounds the Gomal River, a tributary of the Indus River, at Khjori Kach, where the Gomal River passes through a narrow ravine. The purpose of the dam is irrigation, flood control, and hydroelectric power generation. Construction of the dam began in August 2001 and was completed in April 2011. The powerhouse was completed in March 2013 and electricity production started in August 2013. The dam was officially inaugurated on 12 September 2013 by Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif, along with US Ambassador Richard G. Olson and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shaukatullah Khan.
Chashma Barrage is a barrage on the River Indus in the Mianwali District of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is 304 km northwest of Lahore and 56 km downstream of Jinnah Barrage. The contract for Chashma Barrage works was awarded on 10 February, 1967, to French Consortium Société Dumez and Société Borie and was successfully completed by 25 March, 1971. The total cost of Chashma Barrage works was Rs.399 million but power generation started later in 2001. The installed capacity of power station is 184 MW, from eight Kaplan-type bulb turbine units, each with a 23 MW capacity. The bulb turbines have been installed for the first time in Pakistan. The first unit was commissioned in January 2001, while final commissioning of all units was completed in July 2001. The 8 Kaplan-type turbines and synchronous generator units were made by Fuji, Japan.
Diamer-Bhasha Dam is a concreted-filled gravity dam, in the preliminary stages of construction, on the River Indus between Kohistan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Diamer district in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan administered Kashmir. Its foundation stone was laid by the then Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1998. The dam site is situated near a place called "Bhasha", hence the name which is 40 km downstream of Chilas town and 315 km from Tarbela Dam. The eight million acre feet (MAF) reservoir with 272-metre height will be the tallest roller compact concrete (RCC) dam in the world.
Ghazi-Barotha Hydropower Project is a 1,450 MW run-of-the-river hydropower, connected to the Indus River. It is located about 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Attock in the Punjab province and east of Haripur in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Construction of the project began in 1995. It consists of five generators, each possessing a maximum power generation capacity of 290 MW. The inauguration of the plant took place on 19 August 2003, presided over by the then President General Pervez Musharraf. It also saw the commissioning of the first two of the five generators i.e. Unit 1 and Unit 2. The last generator was commissioned on 6 April, 2004, and the project was completed by December the same year. It costed US$2.1 billion with funding from Pakistan's Water and Power Development Authority, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, European Investment Bank and Islamic Development Bank.
Khanki Headworks is a headworks situated on the River Chenab in Gujranwala District of the Punjab province of Pakistan. The construction of this headworks was completed in 1889 and was one of the oldest headworks in Pakistan.
Rasul Barrage is a barrage on the River Jehlum between Jhelum District and Mandi Bahauddin District of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is situated 72 km downstream of Mangla Dam.
Sulemanki Headworks is a headworks on the River Sutlej in Sulemanki Village, near Depalpur City in Okara district of the Punjab province of Pakistan.
Kotri Barrage, also known as the Ghulam Muhammad Barrage, is a barrage on the Indus River between Jamshoro and Hyderabad in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The barrage was completed in 1955 and was inaugurated by Ghulam Muhammad. It is used to control water flow in the Indus for irrigation and flood control purposes.
The Narmada Canal is a contour canal in Western India that brings water from the Sardar Sarovar Dam to the state of Gujarat and then into Rajasthan state. The main canal has a length of 532 kilometres (331 mi). It is the second longest canal in India and the largest canal by water carrying capacity. The main canal is connected with 42 branch canals providing irrigation to 2,129,000 hectares farmland. The canal is designed to transfer 9.5 million acre-feet water annually from the Narmada Basin to areas under other river basins in Gujarat and Rajasthan..
Bara Dam is a proposed small, low-head, earth core rockfill, hydroelectric dam with a capacity of 5.8 megawatts, located across Bara River at the confluence of Mastura River in Tirah Valley, Khyber Agency, FATA, Pakistan. It is part of a wider plan that consists in remodeling the Bara River, to promote agriculture.
The Pazhassi Dam also called Kulur Barrage is a stone masonry diversion structure in Kannur district, Kerala, India. It is named after king Pazhassi Raja, a patriot who died a heroic death in the war. The dam is constructed across the west flowing Bavali river near Veliyambra. It was commissioned by Prime Minister Morarji Desai in 1979. It mainly functions as an irrigation dam, serving a command area of 11,525 hectares in Iritty taluk of the Kannur District. The water from this dam also meets the drinking water requirement of Kannur district. The dam site and the reservoir are known for their scenery.
Rainee Canal Project is located in Ghotki, Sukkur and Khairpur Districts of Sindh Province in Pakistan. It is a canal that starts from the left bank of the Indus River at Guddu Barrage. The total length of the main canal is about 175 km and length of its distributaries will be around 686 km.
Left Bank Outfall Drain is a drainage canal in Pakistan. Built between 1987 and 1997 using funding from the World Bank, the canal collects saline water, industrial effluents and Indus river basin floodwater from more than two million hectares of land of Shaheed Benazirabad, Sanghar, Mirpurkhas and Badin districts located in Nara river basin into the Arabian Sea.
Madhopur Headworks is a barrage on the Ravi River in Madhopur, just 14 km from Pathankot city in Pathankot district in the Indian state of Punjab. It is located on the border with Jammu and Kashmir. The Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) off-taking from Madhopur irrigates agricultural lands in Punjab and provides water to the cities of Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Batala and Amritsar.
Sindh Barrage is a proposed project in Sindh, Pakistan that will be constructed on the River Indus in between the Kotri Barrage and the Indus River outfall into the Arabian Sea.