| Indira Gandhi canal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 650 km (400 miles) |
| History | |
| Former names | Rajasthan Canal |
| Construction began | 1958 |
| Date of first use | 2005 |
| Date completed | Last portion of canal finished in 2010 |
| Geography | |
| Start point | Harike Barrage, Punjab |
| End point | Thar Desert, Rajasthan |
| Branch of | Sutlej Beas |
| Connects to | Thar Desert |
 | |
The Indira Gandhi Canal (originally, Rajasthan Canal) is the longest canal in India. It starts at the Harike Barrage near Harike, a few kilometers downriver from the confluence of the Satluj and Beas rivers in Punjab state, and ends in irrigation facilities in the Thar Desert in the northwest of Rajasthan state. Previously known as the Rajasthan Canal, it was renamed the Indira Gandhi Canal on 2 November 1984 following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The canal consists of the Rajasthan feeder canal with the first 167 kilometres (104 mi) in Punjab and Haryana state and a further 37 kilometres (23 mi) in Rajasthan. This is followed by the 445 kilometres (277 mi) of the Rajasthan main canal, which is entirely within Rajasthan. The canal enters Haryana from Punjab near Lohgarh and runs through the western part of the Sirsa district before entering Rajasthan near Kharakhera village in the Tibbi tehsil of the Hanumangarh district.
It traverses seven districts of Rajasthan: Barmer, Bikaner, Hanumangarh, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, and Sriganganagar. The main canal is 445 km (277 mi) long, which is 1458 RD (reduced distance). From 1458 RD, a 96 km (60 mi) long branch starts, known as the Sagar Mal Gopa Branch or the SMGS. From the end point of SMGS, another 92-kilometer-long sub-branch starts, the last of the Baba Ramdev sub-branch. It ends near Gunjangarh village in Jaisalmer district.
