Dam built yet no irrigation water for Kangra farmers

Farmers in Salkoh village of Kangra are facing irrigation water shortages though the Rs 4.76 crore World Bank-funded check dam project was completed two years ago.

The aim of the project launched under the Shriram Gareli Khad Jal Upbhogta Samuh (Water User Committee) Bhadwar-1 scheme was to irrigate 200 hectares of farmland and benefit 360 farmers but not even one drop of water had reached their fields, dejected villagers say.

Six water tanks and pipelines with a storage capacity of 13 lakh litres were built but villagers say that the tanks were filled only once for testing and had remained dry since then.

Karam Singh, a local, says, “I had donated land for the project but neither received compensation nor water.” Surendra Rana, a Horticulture Department official, says that the dam was handed over in July 2024 to the Water User Committee, which was now responsible for it.

Himachal Tribune