Summary:  Indira Gandhi Canal

Country:  India

Overview:  The Indira Gandhi Canal was primarily designed to support irrigation in the Thar Desert region of the state of Rajasthan in western India. Originally called the Rajasthan Canal, the project was renamed in 1984 in honor of the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Stage I of construction began in 1952 and was completed in 1983. This stage is described as consisting of a 204 km feeder canal and 189 km main canal (393 km total). Stage 2 extended the main canal an additional 256 km. Construction appears to be ongoing today as the extent of water distribution expands. As of 2021, the canal appears to feature approximately 200 diversions to secondary distribution canals of varying sizes and approximately 45 control gates to manage flow rates and assist in diverting water to the secondary canals.

Initial Construction (Years):  1952-1983

Managing Agency:  Indira Gandhi Nahar Project (IGNP) Board / Command Area Development Authority (CADA)  http://water.rajasthan.gov.in/content/water/en/indiragandhinahardepartment/AboutUs/Department/Organisation/IndiraGandhiNaharBoard.html#

Major Source:  Satluj River, Beas River (Punjab state)

Major Destination:  Thar Desert, Rajasthan 

Construction Type:  Canal

Length (Harike Barrage to Terminus):  837 km (520 miles)  

Maximum Capacity:  460 m3/s at Sutlez River Intake (Vijayan, Gopalakrishna, and Schultz  2014)

Google Earth File

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Creative Commons License (CC-BY):  This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

How to cite this work:   Chaney, P.L.  2021.  Indira Gandhi Canal AU. [Google Earth File].  The IBT Water Project. https://www.auburn.edu/cosam/faculty/geosciences/chaney/ibtwater/indira_gandhi.htm

References

Idris, M., P. Singh, and S. Johari. 2009. Impact Assessment of the Indira Gandhi Canal on the Avifauna of the Thar Desert. In: Sivaperuman C., Baqri Q.H., Ramaswamy G., Naseema M. (eds) Faunal Ecology and Conservation of the Great Indian Desert. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-87409-6_11

Kataria, S. n.d. Indira Gandhi Nahar Project. Government of Rajasthan: Indira Gandhi Nahar.  http://water.rajasthan.gov.in/content/water/en/indiragandhinahardepartment/AboutUs.html# 

Mercury Digital Marketing. 2019. Indira Gandhi Nahar Project (IGNP) Film. [Video File].  YouTube. Published on May 23, 2019.  https://youtu.be/RJAjQgyQwkg

RAJ Films. 2019. Harike Dam. [Video File]. YouTube. Published on May 19, 2019.   https://youtu.be/KBNTIaQz6ZM

Rajras. 2016. Rajasthan Irrigation: Indira Gandhi Canal. RAJRAS. (June 28, 2016). https://www.rajras.in/indira-gandhi-canal/

Vijayan, J., M. Gopalakrishna, and B. Schultz (Eds.). 2014. Indira Gandhi Nahar Scheme. Global Experience on Interbasin Water Transfers for Irrigation, Drainage and Flood Management, Analyses and Recommendations (Final Draft). International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), March 2014. Pg 32-35. New Delhi, India. http://www.icid.org

Wikipedia Contributors. 2021. Indira Gandhi Canal. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Last edited on 27 March 2021. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indira_Gandhi_Canal

Request for Assistance:  Missing and conflicting information is an ongoing challenge in this project. Although significant effort has been made to map the IBTs main route and key features, some important details may have been missed. We apologize in advance for any errors and request your assistance in making necessary revisions. 

Last updated: 31 March 2021