📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / PSSP
Agriculture
Canal water use in Punjab climbs to 88% under Bhagwant Mann, AAP says
✍️ India Today
🗓 30 Oct 2026, 04:46 AM
👁 6
The Aam Aadmi Party says canal water utilisation in Punjab has risen sharply to 88% from 22% since the Bhagwant Mann government took office.
Punjab’s Aam Aadmi Party announced that the share of canal water being used for irrigation has jumped to 88%, a steep rise from the 22% recorded before the Bhagwant Mann ministry assumed power. The party cited data released in an India Today report to back the claim.
The increase, if accurate, would represent a major improvement in water allocation for the state’s predominantly agricultural economy, where reliable canal supply is critical for wheat and rice cultivation.
AAP officials, however, noted that the figures have not yet been independently verified by the state’s irrigation department. Critics have urged a detailed audit to confirm the surge and to assess its impact on groundwater levels.
Water management remains a politically sensitive issue in Punjab, with successive governments facing pressure to boost farm productivity while conserving dwindling water resources.
The increase, if accurate, would represent a major improvement in water allocation for the state’s predominantly agricultural economy, where reliable canal supply is critical for wheat and rice cultivation.
AAP officials, however, noted that the figures have not yet been independently verified by the state’s irrigation department. Critics have urged a detailed audit to confirm the surge and to assess its impact on groundwater levels.
Water management remains a politically sensitive issue in Punjab, with successive governments facing pressure to boost farm productivity while conserving dwindling water resources.