Bathinda Sirhind Canal Irrigation Water System

The Sirhind Canal, originating from the Sutlej at Ropar and extending 3,000 kilometres through Bathinda and adjacent districts, is one of the oldest canal systems in the world, constructed between 1872 and 1882 by the British administration to irrigate the arid Malwa tract. Water distributaries from the canal feed into rajbahas and mohgas that reach individual fields through a rotation schedule, transforming the semi-arid belt into one of India's most productive wheat zones. Bathinda's canal-irrigated agriculture underpins the district's prosperity and the water management culture rooted in warabandi turn allocation maintains community cooperation over water rights.