The Marala–Ravi Link Canal (MRL canal) is a

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...

Pakistani Punjab Punjab (; , ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the largest province by population. It shares land borders with the ...

that flows from the

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

on the

Chenab River The Chenab River () is a major river that flows 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, Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul regi ...

near

Sialkot Sialkot ( ur, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of Sialkot District and the 13th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined with Jammu (the winter capital of Indian administered Jammu and Ka ...

to the

Ravi river The Ravi River () is a transboundary river crossing northwestern India and eastern Pakistan. It is one of five rivers associated with the Punjab region. Under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, the waters of the Ravi and two other rivers were ...

. It was constructed in 1956 to transfer water from Chenab to Ravi as well as to irrigate about 60,000 hectares of land in the

and Gurjanwala districts. It is long and has a capacity . The banks of the canal have no fencing and are in dilapidated condition as they have not been repaired since its construction in 1954. The banks were breached in 2014 floods. During the

Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 or the Second Kashmir War was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. The conflict began following Pakistan's Operation Gibraltar, which was d ...

, the Indian forces strategised to reach up to the MRL canal, driving a wedge between Sialkot and

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

. But, the Pakistani forces fought them off, resulting in a stalemate. During initial filling of

Baglihar Dam Baglihar Dam (Hindi: ''Baglihār Bāndh''), also known as Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project, is a run-of-the-river power project on the Chenab River in the Ramban district, Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and K ...

in 2008, the canal was closed allegedly due to the non-availability of water in Chenab. Indian commentators dispute the claim.Ramaswamy R. Iyer
Pakistan: water on the boil again
The Hindu, 26 July 2011. "The filling was completed well within the prescribed period; there was no deviation in that respect. The shortfall with reference to the prescribed minimum flow at Merala arala(of which there are different estimates by India and Pakistan, and no jointly observed figure) was only for a few hours — less than a day — and could not possibly have caused serious harm." Canal Tree View Kalekay Nagra

Kalekay Nagra village"> File:Canal-View.jpg File:Canal-Side2.jpg File:Head Marala Canal View Near Kalekay Nagra.jpg File:Canal Bridge Kalekay Nagra.jpg

References

External links

* Marala–Ravi link canal marked on OpenStreetMap
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Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

{{Pakistan-geo-stub