With the east Ganga canal remaining closed for the past 10 days at the behest of the Uttar Pradesh irrigation department for maintenance, the forest department officers based in Haridwar district have appealed to the irrigation department of the neighbouring State to release some water in the canal to maintain the minimum water flow there in the interests of the wild life.
Notably, parts of Haridwar forest division fall along the course of canal that, while flowing through Bheemgoda barrage to Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh, merges into the main Ganga canal.
With the canal being closed, the wild life is facing acute water crisis, the foresters say.
While speaking of the matter, the range officer of Shyampur range of Haridwar forest division, Y S Rathore said that the water holes dug by the forest department are not sufficient for the wild animals to slake their thirst. “Elephants, deer and other animals cross the park’s boundary to reach the canal to quench their thirst. But these days, they are in deep water crisis. The crisis keeps deepening with the increase in the summer heat. It is thus an imperative that the UP irrigation department releases some cusecs of water for the sake of the suffering animals.”
However, the UP irrigation department officials have made it clear that they would not release any water for the canal until the maintenance work is completed. “We have not received any official latter from the forest department for releasing water. However, the water supply would be resumed once the maintenance work is completed,” said SDO Upper Ganga Canal Sushil Yadav.
Notably, the Ganga canal built by the British engineer Col Kotley in 1842 flows through a stretch of 570 kms, from Haridwar to Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh. The canal is the lifeline of both Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.