Punjab’s Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal, on Monday, 14th July 2025, informed the Vidhan Sabha that the state government has identified several locations where reservoirs will be constructed to store the monsoon floodwaters of the Ghaggar River. Every year during the monsoon, thousands of acres of land are submerged due to the river’s overflow. Although the minister did not specify the number of these sites, he did mention that in Chando village (District Sangrur), which is the birthplace of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, 20 acres of land have been reserved for a reservoir.
He provided this response following concerns raised by Dera Bassi MLA Kuljit Singh Randhawa and Ghanaur MLA Gurlal Ghanaur regarding the dangers of recurring floods. Each year, breaches in the Ghaggar River result in flooding in multiple villages of Mohali, Patiala, Mansa, and Sangrur districts.
Goyal stated that the Sangrur-based reservoir will be 40 feet deep and connected with water channels, enabling the collected water to be used for irrigation and groundwater recharge.
This entire effort is not only a historic step toward flood protection, but also a wise strategy keeping in view water shortage, depleting groundwater levels, and the rising need for irrigation in agriculture. Within the mindset of “Saving Every Drop,” this initiative could prove to be a strong link—not just in water conservation, but also in safeguarding Punjab’s agriculture-driven economic structure.
