Longest canal in the India – Top 10 longest canal in the india

Longest canal in the India : The Indira Gandhi Canal, previously the Rajasthan Canal, is the longest canal in India at about 650 km (400-650 km range cited). It starts from the Harike Barrage in Punjab and flows through Haryana and ends in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, being an important source of irrigation and drinking water.

Key Features of the Indira Gandhi Canal:

Total Length: Approx. 650 km.

Source: Harike Barrage, Punjab (where the Sutlej and Beas rivers meet)

Destination: Thar Desert, Rajasthan.

Function: To provide irrigation for dry areas of Rajasthan and drinking water supply

Structure: it is made up of the Rajasthan feeder canal (167 km in the Punjab/Haryana) and the Rajasthan main canal (492 km in Rajasthan)

Construction: Began in 1958; has revolutionized agriculture in the area.

Fast Facts : Indira Gandhi Canal (2026)

Total length: Approximately 650 km (includes the 204 km Feeder Canal and the 445 km Main Canal)

Source: Harike Barrage, Punjab; confluence of Sutlej and Beas rivers

Course: It travels through Punjab and Haryana and enters Rajasthan at Hanumangarh.

Route: It ends at Mohangarh, in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district.

The Results: It turned more than 1.9 million hectares of desert into crops growing wheat, cotton, and mustard.

Comparison with Other Major Indian Canals

While the Indira Gandhi Canal is the longest single line, India has several other massive canal systems:

Recent 2026 Update

With the assembly elections in Punjab and Rajasthan approaching, since early 2026, there has been re-emphasis on the Malwa Canal project in Punjab and the subsequent extension of lift irrigation schemes in Rajasthan to supply drinking water to the remotest border villages in Barmer and Jaisalmer districts

Frequently Asked Questions (F&Q)

Q — Which states does the Indira Gandhi Canal cross?

Which of the following was the by name of Indira Gandhi Canal?

Draft the news with a limited number of wordsThe project was initially named the Rajasthan Canal. The name was changed in 1984 after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Which rivers water this canal?

It draws the water from the Sutlej and Beas rivers. Downstream of the confluence of these two rivers, it is diverted at the Harike Barrage in Punjab.

Whether it is only drinking water and irrigation is provided or both Both. Although its main aim is to used for irrigation (turn the desert into a farmland), it also serves as the sole drinking water supplier for some important cities of Rajasthan like Bikaner, Jodhpur, and Jaisalmer.

How many states does the canal runs through?

So, essentially the entire canal system runs over 3 states — Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Nevertheless, most of its length and the major advantages is actually in Rajasthan.

What do we mean by a Lift Canal in this project?

With several parts of the Thar Desert lying higher than the main canal, water cannot flow there by gravity. Lift CanalsThese are the kind of canals that carry water to higher regions with the help of gigantic pumping stations, lifting the water up. Presently, the project has 07 Major Lift Irrigation Schemes.

Can you name the major crops cultivated due to this canal?

Water has enabled the farmers cultivate wheat mustard cotton, groundnut and chick peas on the barren sand dunes.

Will the canal be finished in 2026?

The main stages are all there though “Stage II” is an ever evolving process. The focus in 2026 has now shifted to lining the smaller distributaries to check water seepage and to enhancing the “tail-end” reaches to ensure that water reaches the far-flung border villages of Barmer.

What are the environmental issues with the canal?

However, the two major problems are waterlogging and rising salinity. In certain regions, overuse of water in desert soil (with low permeability potential) leads to a rise in the water table, bringing salts to the soil surface and rendering the land unsuitable for agriculture after some time.

Quick Comparison: Indira Gandhi Canal vs. Others

Top 10 Longest Canals in India

*For Sharda Canal, 938 km is net length of main network in total; it’s situated low sometimes due to being one contiguous line, but it’s North India’s highest based overall system

Highlights of India’s Major Waterways

A World-Class Feat: The Indira Gandhi Canal — The Rajasthan Lifeline Not only did it give water, it prevented the Thar Desert from expanding. Here in year 2026, we are lifting desert water to high land villages using new “Lift Irrigation” technologies

The Buckingham Canal — which is unusual purely because it is also a navigation channel. The ridge running parallel to the Coromandel Coast served as an important buffer for many of the coastal villages when the Tsunami hit in 2004 and spared many of the villages by absorbing the influx.

Tahelka Engineering Heritage The Upper Ganga Canal is one of the oldest and most significant irrigation projects in the world, distributing water to the fertile “Doab” region located between the Ganges and Yamuna.

Entry points to the world: World Milestones in Western Transformation: The Narmada Canal The longest “lined” canal in the world (i.e. concrete-lined to avoid water seepage), bringing the waters of the Sardar Sarovar Dam into the water-deficient Kutch and Jalore regions.

F&Q Quick Guide

What is the name of the longest canal in Uttar Pradesh?

The Sharda Canal with a vast network of branches measuring nearly 1,000 km is the longest in UP.

If so, does that mean the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) has been commissioned?

Even as parts of the infrastructure are physically complete, the project is still a matter of legal and political contention between Punjab and Haryana, as of 2026.

What is the “Malwa Canal”?

A comparatively newer initiative based on how the Malwa belt’s irrigation network can be revived without overshooting groundwater usage (Announced/planned around 2024-2026).