Drones monitoring de-silting, cleaning of canals in the state

PRAYAGRAJ : The state irrigation department is getting post-monsoon cleaning and de-silting of canals done across UP with the help of drones these days.

The exercise being carried out following the farmers’ frequent complaints of water not reaching the tail of the canals will help in plantation of Rabi crops.

A report along with the videography done of the process would be sent by all the districts concerned to the state government, inform officials.

Be it Kanpur, Meerut, Varanasi or Prayagraj, the de-silting of the canals is being done everywhere. This was in accordance with the state government’s instructions aimed at ensuring proper cleaning of canals for better irrigation of crops by farmers, shared a senior state irrigation department official.

For this, tenders have already been invited in Prayagraj. Complete videography of 20 minor and major sections of canals of the district will be done under the initiative and its report will be sent to the state government.

Tenders invited by Sanjay Singh, executive engineer, Baghla division, Prayagraj, will be opened in Varanasi on November 2 in front of chief engineer (Sone), irrigation and water resources.

Registered contractors of the irrigation department have been asked to apply for this, say officials. “The canals are monitored once before and after the cleaning and de-silting process so as to assess effectiveness of the cleaning and ensure that water is reaching the canal tail. The details collected during the monitoring are available with us and we provide report to the state government based upon these,” said SC Yadav, executive engineer, Belan canal division, Prayagraj. “As per the verification process, the gram pradhans also give us a written undertaking about the water reaching the tails of the canals,” he added.

“The de-silting and cleaning of the canals is to be completed across the state on priority,” Yadav said.