Khanki Headworks is a

headworks Headworks is a civil engineering term for any structure at the head or diversion point of a waterway. It is smaller than a barrage and is used to divert water from a river into a canal or from a large canal into a smaller canal. at Web archive An ...

situated on the River Chenab in

Wazirabad District Wazirabad District ( Punjabi and ) is a district that is a part of Punjab, Pakistan. Wazirabad District is bordered by the districts of Gujrat, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad and Gujranwala. Administration Wazirabad is in fact a city-dist ...

Gujrat Division Gujrat Division (), also called Division X, is an administrative division of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan, comprising the List of districts in Punjab, Pakistan, districts of Gujrat District, Gujrat, Hafizabad District, Hafizabad, Mandi B ...

of the

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

province of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. The construction of this headworks was completed in 1889 and was one of the oldest headworks in Pakistan. Khanki headworks is also used to divert water to the

Lower Chenab Canal The Lower Chenab Canal is a canal in Pakistan. It was dug in 1892 and originates from Khanki Headworks, on the River Chenab in Gujranwala District. The Lower Chenab Canal irrigation system is one of the oldest irrigation systems in the Punjab pro ...

, which originates from Khanki Headworks. Khanki controls water distribution over 3 million acres (12,000 km²) of agricultural lands by one main distributary, the

, and 59 minor distributaries.

History

The old "Head Khanki Barrage" was built from 1892 to 1898 on Chenab River by the British to convert 3 million acres of barren land into cotton and wheat fields. The barrage was built 16-km downstream of Alexandra Railway Bridge with stone and rubble masonry with a maximum capacity of 800,000 cusecs. The Lower Chenab Canal originates from the Barrage carrying about 11,600 cusecs of water. The weir originally was a shuttered type weir comprising 8 spans of 500 ft each and was first one in Punjab which was built upon alluvial soil. The weir got repeatedly damaged in portions and had to be remodeled extensively during 1919-1920 and 1933–1935. Over time the structure showed some serious engineering defects so after detailed analysis and research, it was decided to build the whole barrage anew and demolish the previous one. The then Member of the National Assembly (NA-101 Justice Iftikhar Ahmed Cheema gave the idea of rebuilding the whole project for the betterment of farmers.The construction of new Khanki Barrage was completed in August 2017 but the barrage was formally handed over to the Punjab Irrigation Department in June 2019. The new Khanki barrage construction project cost Rs. 21.3 billion with 87 percent of the funding provided by the

Asian Development Bank The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank to promote social and economic development in Asia. The bank is headquartered in Metro Manila, Philippines and maintains 31 field offices around the world. The bank was establishe ...

. New Khanki Barrage will divert 11,653 cusecs of sustainable irrigation supplies to the downstream

. The irrigation distribution system has already been remodeled for additional flows. The barrage will ensure sustainable irrigation of 3.03 million acres of fertile land in eight districts of central Punjab - Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Sheikhupura, Nankana Sahid, Faisalabad, Jhang, Chiniot and Toba Tek Singh. The project will benefit about 568,000 farming families and reduce flooding risks from once in 50 years to once in 100 years.

Flooding hazards

Chenab River The Chenab River is a major river in India and Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, the Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul region of Hima ...

passes through

Marala Headworks Marala Headworks is a headworks situated on the Chenab River near the city of Sialkot in Sialkot district in Punjab, Pakistan. A weir was first built during 1906–1912 in the British India to feed the Upper Chenab Canal, as part of the 'Triple ...

, Khanki Headworks, Qadirabad Headworks and Trimmu Barrage and there is river flooding hazards every year during the flooding season in all five major rivers of the old Punjab of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

on both sides of the border of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

. Both countries monitor and watch the river water flow levels in their areas – especially closely during the flooding season.Water flow normal in all rivers
The News International (newspaper), Published 2 September 2020, Retrieved 30 November 2020

References

Gujranwala District Dams on the Chenab River Dams in Pakistan 1892 establishments in British India {{Pakistan-struct-stub

History

Flooding hazards

See also

References