WWF-India held an event at the head of Bachhmai Canal (part of the Lower Ganga Canal System) in the Kasganj district of Uttar Pradesh, on 26th September, to celebrate the start of enhancing flows as part of the Kali River rejuvenation initiative.
Between April and June 2023 alone, over 28 million litres of water saved from irrigation was directed into the Kali River from the Bachhmai Canal Command. This project has been completed in partnership with HSBC India, with the support of the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation & Water Resources Department, the District Administration of Kasganj, ten Water User Associations and progressive farmers of the Bachhmai Canal System.
The project was initiated in 2020 with the aim to increase flows into the Kali River by channelling saved irrigation water from the tail-end of the canals of the Bachhmai system. It also included construction of new head-regulators for them, enabling regulation of water within the Bachhmai system. This freshwater conservation measure has been achieved through a mix of supply-side (rehabilitation of canal irrigation system) and demand-side (reducing irrigation water demand) strategies implemented in the project area. WWF-India has also worked to empower existing institutional arrangements, especially the ten Water User Associations, to ensure the sustainability of this initiative beyond the project’s lifespan.
Stakeholders present at the event were Mr Suprabhat Singh, Superintending Engineer (IWC Aligarh), UP Irrigation & Water Resources Department, Ms Kalpana Singh Chauhan, Deputy Collector of Kasganj District, Mr Romit Sen, Senior Vice President, Corporate Sustainability, HSBC India, Mr Akhand Pratap Singh, Deputy Ranger, UP Forest Department, senior members of the Water Users Associations, Ganga Mitras, and the WWF-India team.
Between April and June 2023 alone, over 28 million litres of water saved from irrigation was directed into the Kali River from the Bachhmai Canal Command. This project has been completed in partnership with HSBC India, with the support of the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation & Water Resources Department, the District Administration of Kasganj, ten Water User Associations and progressive farmers of the Bachhmai Canal System.
The project was initiated in 2020 with the aim to increase flows into the Kali River by channelling saved irrigation water from the tail-end of the canals of the Bachhmai system. It also included construction of new head-regulators for them, enabling regulation of water within the Bachhmai system. This freshwater conservation measure has been achieved through a mix of supply-side (rehabilitation of canal irrigation system) and demand-side (reducing irrigation water demand) strategies implemented in the project area. WWF-India has also worked to empower existing institutional arrangements, especially the ten Water User Associations, to ensure the sustainability of this initiative beyond the project’s lifespan.
Stakeholders present at the event were Mr Suprabhat Singh, Superintending Engineer (IWC Aligarh), UP Irrigation & Water Resources Department, Ms Kalpana Singh Chauhan, Deputy Collector of Kasganj District, Mr Romit Sen, Senior Vice President, Corporate Sustainability, HSBC India, Mr Akhand Pratap Singh, Deputy Ranger, UP Forest Department, senior members of the Water Users Associations, Ganga Mitras, and the WWF-India team.
