Chandigarh, Oct. 24 -- Canal-water utilisation in the state has increased from 22% in 2022 to over 80%, with 14,000 km of pipelines laid to supply irrigation water to agricultural fields, said Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday. The government plans to lay another 6,000 km of pipelines to expand the network, he said.

Speaking on the second day of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha session, Mann said the expansion of canal irrigation was reducing dependence on groundwater and helping restore depleting reserves. Citing a Union government report, he claimed that Punjab's groundwater table had risen by four metres.

"Canal water is like desi ghee for Punjab's crops. Adequate canal irrigation reduces dependence on groundwater, improves produc...