Pune: Farmers across Junnar and Ambegaon tehsils in Pune district and parts of Ahilyanagar (Nagar) and Solapur districts had for decades been demanding repairs to the 250-km-long Kukadi left-bank canal. The state water resources department has now sanctioned Rs240 crore for restoration work and concrete lining on multiple vulnerable stretches of the network, with renovation work already under way.The Kukadi irrigation project was commissioned in 1977 and has since been a crucial lifeline for thousands of hectares of farmland. Over the years, extensive seepage, leakage and breaches in the ageing canal have significantly reduced water flow to the tail-end villages. Farmers said the unreliable water supply has dried up their fields and thrown them into financial distress, with crop cycles repeatedly delayed.Otur farmer Shankar Wagh said, “The canal is older than most of us farming today. Over the years, we watched water disappear into the ground while our crops wilted. Every season was a gamble. Our lives will change if the repairs successfully seal leakages.”Superintendent engineer of the Kukadi irrigation project, Alka Aherao, told TOI: “We recently finalised a tender worth Rs249 crore, and the work has begun on some stretches. The plan is to complete the project within a year. The challenge is to maintain the pace of the work and release water whenever required.” Once completed, seepage would reduce drastically, ensuring equitable and timely distribution of water to downstream villages, she added.The restoration is not just an infrastructure upgrade, but a major relief for farmers. “We often felt we didn’t matter when water failed to reach us. It was a struggle to save even a single crop. Over time, our fields turned barren. Repairs are the last hope for our livelihood,” said farmer couple Rajesh and Sunita Gavate from Alephata.Junnar farmer Bhairavnath Khule said, “Not a single major repair was undertaken over the last 40 years. We repeatedly complained, filed requests and staged protests. Sometimes sowing was impossible because fields would become waterlogged due to leakages. Losses were huge, and most families would not be under heavy debt today had the government acted earlier.”“This isn’t just repairs; it is the revival of hundreds of acres of farmland that have turned infertile over the years,” said farmer activist Shantaaram Sarvade from Khed. “Villages in Ahilyanagar and drought-prone Solapur district will prosper again if the canal is made fully operational.”Sharad Kale, a farmer from Alephata, said, “Authorities concerned should keep a close watch on the ongoing work and inspect the sites periodically to ensure quality. If not, it will have long-term adverse consequences, and farmers will have to suffer for years to come.”
