Irrigation and river-valley projects of Rajasthan

At a glance

1. 1Bhakra–Nangal: Rajasthan's share of the project's cost and benefits is 15.22 percent (Punjab 84.78 percent).
2. 2Narmada canal: the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal (final order, 12 December 1979) gave Rajasthan 0.5 million acre-feet (MAF), that is 616.74 million cubic metres; the main canal runs 74 km inside Rajasthan.
3. 3No proposal to make ERCP a National Project is under consideration: the Ministry of Jal Shakti's Rajya Sabha reply of 1 December 2025.

Major projects at a glance

• Indira Gandhi Canal (IGNP)Thar Desert canalWater fromHarike barrage, PunjabDistricts servedSri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Churu, Jodhpur (as then; Phalodi district has since been formed from it) and Barmer (as then; Balotra district has since been formed from it)PurposeIrrigation, drinking water, afforestation and powerFull notes →
• Bhakra–NangalThree-state projectWater fromSutlej (Bhakra dam in Himachal Pradesh)Districts servedSri Ganganagar; Hanumangarh (Sangaria, Tibbi, Hanumangarh, Pilibanga, Nohar and Bhadra tehsils); power to Bikaner and RatangarhPurposeIrrigation and powerPartner statesPunjab, Haryana
• Gang CanalBikaner state canalWater fromSutlej, at Hussainiwala near Ferozepur (Punjab)Districts servedSri Ganganagar: past Shivpur, Ganganagar, Padampur and Raisinghnagar to AnupgarhPurposeIrrigation
• SidhmukhDecember 1981 agreementWater fromSurplus Ravi and Beas waterDistricts servedHanumangarh (Nohar and Bhadra tehsils) and Churu (Taranagar and Sadulpur tehsils)PurposeIrrigation
• Vyas projectFeeds the Indira Gandhi CanalPurposeUse of Ravi, Beas and Sutlej water; a permanent supply for the Indira Gandhi CanalPartner statesPunjab, Haryana
• Chambal project50 percent Rajasthan shareWater fromChambalDistricts servedKota, Bundi and Baran (Baran was formed from Kota district in 1991)PurposeIrrigation and powerPartner statesMadhya Pradesh
• Mahi Bajaj SagarDam, power house, canalsWater fromMahiDistricts servedBanswara and Dungarpur (tribal areas)PurposeIrrigation and powerPartner statesGujarat
• JakhamLeft and right canalsWater fromJakham, a tributary of the SomDistricts servedPratapgarh, Chittorgarh and Udaipur (as then; Salumbar district has since been formed from it)PurposeIrrigation; culturable command area 19,529 ha (left main canal) and 8,790 ha (right main canal)
• BisalpurDam in Tonk districtWater fromBanasDistricts servedJaipur, Ajmer and Tonk; also the towns of Beawar (then Ajmer district, now Beawar district) and Kishangarh (Ajmer district)PurposeDrinking water and irrigation
• Narmada canalEnters near Silu, SanchoreWater fromNarmada, from the Sardar Sarovar project in GujaratDistricts servedJalore and Barmer (as then; Balotra district has since been formed from it)PurposeIrrigation; culturable command area raised from 1.35 to 2.46 lakh ha, with sprinkler and drip irrigationPartner statesGujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra (the other tribunal states)
• Som–Kamla–AmbaTribal south's line of fortuneWater fromSom (dam near Kamla Amba village)Districts servedDungarpur and Udaipur (as then; Salumbar district has since been formed from it)PurposeIrrigation
• MejaMandalgarh tehsil damWater fromKothariDistricts servedBhilwaraPurposeDrinking water (the main source of Bhilwara) and irrigation
• MorelEarthen dam near Lalsot (Dausa)Water fromMorelPurposeIrrigation

Districts are as the textbooks name them; where a district has since been split, the row says so. The dams of the Chambal and the Mahi are in the Rivers and drainage notes. Irrigated area by source (tube-wells, canals, wells, tanks) is in the Agriculture notes.

PKC-ERCP link project

PKC-ERCP is the Modified Parbati–Kalisindh–Chambal link: it joins Madhya Pradesh's components in the Kuno, Parbati and Kalisindh sub-basins with the components of Rajasthan's Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP).

• The idea, as the Ministry of Jal Shakti's reply of 24 July 2023 puts it: move surplus monsoon water of the Kalisindh, Parvati, Mej and Chakan sub-basins within the Chambal basin to the water-deficit Banas, Gambhiri, Banganga and Parbati sub-basins (this Parbati is a different river from the Parvati above, in the deficit east); the same reply gives ERCP's irrigation as about 2.82 lakh ha.

Central irrigation scheme

• Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY): the central umbrella scheme for irrigation, launched on 1 July 2015, with the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme, Har Khet Ko Pani and Watershed Development among its components; the Union Budget 2026-27 allocated ₹6,587 crore to it.

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