TheIndira Gandhi Canal (also still known by the revered sacred nameSaraswati Rupa Rajasthan Canal,[1] also formerly officially calledRajasthan Canal) with total length of 837 kilometres (520 mi), is the longest canal in India which begins inPunjab state at theHarike Barrage (confluence of theSatluj andBeas rivers), flows a short distance through northwest part ofHaryana state, and ends in theThar Desert nearGadra Road in westernRajasthan. The course ofIndira Gandhi Canal is subdivided into 4 sections,Rajasthan Feeder Canal (RF Canal) N-SW flowing 204 kilometres (127 mi) long course from Harike Barrage inFerozepur district to Masitawali village inHanumangarh,Indira Gandhi Main Canal (IGM Canal) N-SW flowing 445 kilometres (277 mi) long course from Masitawali toMohangarh northeast ofJaisalmer,Sagarmal Gopa Branch Canal (SGB Canal) E-W flowing 96 kilometres (60 mi) long course from Mohangarh to Gunjangarh-Ramgarh northwest of Jaisalmer,Baba Ramdev Sub-branch Canal (BRSB Canal) N-S flowing 92 kilometres (57 mi) long course from Gunjangarh-Ramgarh towardGadra Road town in Barmer district.[2]
Previously named as theRajasthan Canal after the state of Rajasthan it irrigates, it was renamed as theIndira Gandhi Canal following the assassination of Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi.[1]
Baba Ramdev Sub-branch Canal (BRSB Canal) is named after theBaba Ramdev (1352–1385 CE, 1409–1442Vikram Samvat), a 14th-centuryHindurishi (sage), who has a shrine atRamdevra village situated about 12 km to the north ofPokhran.Baba Ramdev Sub-branch Canal was initially named theGadra Road Sub-Branch after theGadra Road town by which it flows, then renamed asBarkatulla Khan sub-branch after theChief Minister of RajasthanBarkatullah Khan (r. 1971–73), and finally renamed to its present nameBaba Ramdev Sub-branch Canal.[2]
Saraswati Rupa Rajasthan Canal, also known as the Indira Gandhi Canal, is named after the sacred Saraswati River, whose paleochannel the Indira Gandhi Canal now follows. In 1980, when then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi inaugurated the Rajasthan Canal, as it was officially known at the time, one inscription on its bank referred to it as the "Saraswati Rupa Rajasthan Canal." The scientific research proves that this canal follows the paleochannel of rig vedic Sarasvati River.[1][6]
The idea of bringing the waters from theHimalayan Rivers flowing throughPunjab and into Pakistan was conceived by hydraulic engineer Kanwar Sain in the late 1940s. Sain estimated that 2,000,000 ha (20,000 km2) of desert land in Bikaner and the northwest corner of Jaisalmer could be irrigated by the stored waters of the Punjab rivers.In 1960, theIndus Water Treaty was signed between India and Pakistan, which gave India the right to use the water from three rivers: theSatluj,Beas, andRavi. The plan for the Rajasthan Canal at that time envisioned the use of 7,600,000 acre-feet (9.4×109 m3), 9,400 hm³ of water.[7]
The canal faced severe financial constraints, neglect, and corruption.[8] Stage I was completed in 1983 around 20 years behind the completion schedule, stage .
Indira Gandhi Main Canal's 256 km (159 mi) long section from Pugal (Bikaner) to Mohangarh (Jaisalmer)
distributary canal network of 3,600 km (2,200 mi).
revised distributary canal network: The main canal was planned to be 140 ft (43 m) wide at the top and 116 ft (35 m) wide at the bottom with a water depth of 21 ft (6.4 m). Scheduled to be completed by 1971, facing delays, the plan was revised in 1970, and it was decided that the entire canal would be lined with concrete tiles. Five more lift schemes were added, and the flow command of Stage II was increased by 100,000 ha (1,000 km2). With increased requirements, the total length of main, feeder, and distribution canals was about 9,245 km (5,745 mi).
Stage II was completed in 2010, around 15 years behind the original completion schedule.
On 2 November 1984, following the assassination of Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi, theRajasthan Canal was officially renamed as theIndira Gandhi Canal.[1]
Harike Barrage wetland, the confluence of Sutlej and Beas where the Rajasthan Feeder Canal (RF Canal) begins
Indira Gandhi Canal's main course is divided into the following four subsections:
Rajasthan Feeder Canal (RF Canal), N-SW flowing 204 kilometres (127 mi) long course begins in Punjab at Harike Barrage, immediate downstream from the confluence of the Satluj and Beas rivers inFerozepur district atHarike village 35 km south ofTaran Taran city and 45 km northeast ofFirozpur city, and flows a short distance through northwest part ofHaryana state, it ends at Masitawali village 30 km southeast ofHanumangarh city in northwest Rajasthan.[citation needed]
Indira Gandhi Main Canal (IGM Canal), N-SW flowing 445 kilometres (277 mi) long course begins at Masitawali at the end ofRajasthan Feeder Canal and then it sequentially traverses through western districts of Rajasthan, namelyHanumangarh,Bikaner,Phalodi,Jaisalmer, before ending atMohangarh village 60 km northeast ofJaisalmer city.[2]
Sagarmal Gopa Branch Canal (SGB Canal), E-W flowing 96 kilometres (60 mi) long course begins at Mohangarh at the end ofIndira Gandhi Main Canal, and continues to flow west before ending at Gunjangarh-Ramgarh villages 70 km northwest of Jaisalmer city.[2]
Baba Ramdev Sub-branch Canal (BRSB Canal), N-S flowing 92 kilometres (57 mi), it begins at Gunjangarh-Ramgarh at the end of E-W flowingSagarmal Gopa Branch Canal where it turns south and flows towardGadra Road town (6 km fromIndia–Pakistan border, 86 km west ofBarmer city, and 40 km east ofbeating retreatborder ceremony) atMunabao border crossing to Pakistan).[2]
Indira Gandhi Main Canal's one of the lift canal nearRaiya Tunda village in Churu district
There are a total of seven lift canals. These are all on the southern bank of the main Indira Gandhi Canal and require lift irrigation due to a lack of gravitational flow:
Chaudhary Kumbha Ram Arya Lift Canal (Gandheli-Sahwa Lift Project or Aapni Scheme), irrigates Hanumangarh,Churu andJhunjhunu districts, longest lift canal of Indira Gandhi Canal after counting all its subsidiary branches, named afterKumbha Ram Arya (10 May 1914 – 26 October 1995) - a freedom fighter and parliamentarian.
Kanwar Sen Lift Canal, irrigates north-southern Bikaner, the longest stand-alone lift canal of Indira Gandhi Canal without counting its subsidiary branches, named afterKanwar Sen, who was the chief engineer in the Bikaner state who came up with the idea of Rajasthan Canal.
Panna Lal Lift Canal, irrigates Nagaur district via southcentral Bikaner, named afterPannalal Barupal (6 April 1913 – 19 May 1983) - an independence activist and Indian politician representing the Ganganagar Lok Sabha seat.
Veer Tejaji Lift Canal, irrigates southernmost Bikaner, the shortest Lift Canal, named afterVeer Teja.
Dr. Karni Singh Lift Canal, irrigates Phalodi and Jodhpur districts, named afterKarni Singh (21 April 1924 – 6 September 1988) - last Maharaja of Bikaner State.
Guru Jambheshwar Lift Canal, irrigates Phalodi district, named afterGuru Jambheshwar.
Jai Narayan Vyas Lift Canal, irrigates southeast Jaisalmer district, named afterJai Narayan Vyas (18 February 1899 – 14 March 1963) - third chief minister of the State of Rajasthan.
Gadisar Lake (Amar Sagar) in Jaisalmer is also fed by Indira Gandhi Canal.
After the construction of the Indira Gandhi Canal, potable drinking water and irrigation facilities became available over an area of 6,770 km2 (1,670,000 acres) inJaisalmer district and 37 km2 (9,100 acres) inBarmer district.Mustard,cotton, andwheat now grow in thissemi-arid Thar desert region of northwestern India, where nothing grew earlier. However, many people question whether the project has achieved its full potential, as more land can still be brought under irrigation if more water becomes available.[9]
Joint efforts by several states en route, from the origin of its initial tributaries in Uttarakhand and Himachal, to itspaleodelta in Gujarat, via Haryana (212 km revived channel), Punjab, Rajasthan, are on tomap and revive theRig Vedic flow till Gujarat and build religious tourism and irrigation-cum-flood control facilities along the way.The Sarasvati revival project of Haryana seeks to build channels and dams along the route of the lost river in Haryana, and develop it as a tourist and pilgrimage circuit.[10][11][12] Downstream, Indira Gandhi Canal (Saraswati Rupa Rajasthan Canal) in Rajasthan through its tail in southern Barmer district andGreat Rann of Kutch with ancient dock atLothal (one of the southernmost sites of the ancientIndus-Saraswati Valley civilisation with trade links toMesopotamia[13] andSumer[14][15]) in Gujarat form the paleochannel of Saraswati.[1]
India is embarking on several projects for theinterbasin transfer of various rivers of the Indus system to the Indira Gandhi Canal and the Yamuna River.
Indus-Yamuna Link Canal (IYLC orIYL Canal orIY Link Canal): 200 km long canal, including 87 km link between Sutluj to Yamuna, will link the 3 western rivers -Indus,Jhelum, andChenab - which were exclusively for the use by Pakistan under the India-PakistanIndus Water Treaty (IWT) until the IWT was put in abeyance in early 2025 by India in the aftermath of2025 Pahalgam attack, with the three eastern rivers -Ravi,Beas, andSutlej - which were for the exclusive use of India under the IWT, and further west toYamuna River.[16]
Indus-Sutlej Link Canal (ISLC orISL Canal orIS Link Canal), 113 km[17] long canal component of the IYC Canal with 12 tunnels, will link the 3 western rivers - Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab, with the three eastern rivers - Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej, by linking 13 existing canals along the way - which are being upgraded, to the terminal point of this new link canal the Indira Gandhi Canal at Harike Barrage on Sutlej river. Beginning June 2025, the 113 km long link canal project will be completed within 3 years by July 2028.[17] Water from this new link canal will then be redistributed to 3 states - Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan - where the existing canal network is being upgraded and expanded. Pre-feasibility study for the new link canal began in June 2025.[18]
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