Uttar Pradesh is a state in northern India. It is the most populous state in the Republic of India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. In terms of net state domestic product (NSDP), Uttar Pradesh is the second-largest economy in India after Maharashtra. It is characterised by hard rock strata and a varied topography of hills, plains, valleys and plateaus. The Bhabhar tract gives place to the terai area which is covered with tall elephant grass and thick forests interspersed with marshes and swamps.
About 90 percent of the total area of the state is drain by the Ganga and its tributaries rivers. Therefore, Uttar Pradesh has a prominent place in terms of distribution and expansion of canals. About 30 percent of the total irrigated land is irrigated by canals.
Major canals and dams in Uttar Pradesh
1. Upper Ganges or Ganga Canal
Origin / related river: Haridwar (Uttarakhand), Ganges River
Beneficiary District: Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Bulandshahar, Aligarh, Mathura, Eta, Firozabad, Etawah, Mainpuri, Kanpur, Fatehpur, Ghaziabad and Farrukhabad.
2. Central Ganges or Ganga Canal
Origin / related river: Bijnor, Ganges River.
Beneficiary District: Bulandshahar, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Hathras, Mathura and Firozabad.
3. Lower Ganges or Ganga Canal
Origin / related river: Narora (Bulandshahar), Ganges River.
Beneficiary District: Bulandshahar, Fatehpur, Prayagraj, Aligarh, Mainpuri, Ghaziabad, Eta, Firozabad, Kanpur and Farrukhabad.
4. Ramganga Canal
Origin / related river: Kalagarh (Pahadi), Ramganga River
Beneficiary District: Bijnor, Amroha, Moradabad and Rampur
5. East Yamuna Canal
Origin / related river: Faizabad (Saharanpur) / Yamuna River
Beneficiary District: Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Ghaziabad and Delhi.
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6. Agra Canal
Origin / related river: Okhla (near Delhi), Yamuna River
Beneficiary District: Delhi, Gurgaon, Bharatpur and Agra.
7. Sharda canal
Origin / related river: Banavas (Nepal border) / Sharda River
Beneficiary District: Pilibhit, Bareli, Shahjahanpur, Lakhimpur, Sitapur, Hardoi, Barabanki, Unnao, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh, Sultanpur and Allahabad.
8. Saryu or Ghaghra canal
Origin / related river: Katarnia (Bahraich) / Ghaghra.
Beneficiary District: Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Gonda and Basti.
9. Ghaghra canal
Origin / related river: Mirzapur / Ghaghara (Auxiliary river of Son)
Beneficiary District: Sonbhadra and Mirzapur
10. Betwa Canal
Origin / related river: Parichha (Jhansi)/ Betwa River
Beneficiary District: Jhansi, Hamirpur and Jalaun
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11. Ken Canal
Origin / related river: Panna (Madhya Pradesh) / Ken River.
Beneficiary District: Banda
12. Gandak canal
Origin / related river: Nepal / Old Gandak River
Beneficiary District: Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Maharajganj and Deoria.
13. Rani Lakshmi Bai Dam Canals
Origin / related river: Matatila (Lalit) / Betwa River.
Beneficiary District: Hamirpur, Jalaun, Jhansi and Lalit.
14. Rajghat Canal
Origin / related river: Lalitpur / Betwa River
Beneficiary District: Hamirpur, Jalaun, Jhansi and Lalit.
15. Rihand Valley Project canals
Origin / related river: Pipri (Sonbhadra) / Rihand River
Beneficiary District: Mirzapur, Sonbhadra, Varanasi and Allahabad.
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16. Bansagar Canal
Origin / related river: Shahdol (Madhya Pradesh) / Son River.
Beneficiary District: Mirzapur, Sonbhadra, Chandaul and Allahabad.
17. Belan Tons Canal
Origin / related river: Rewa / Bellan River.
Beneficiary District: Allahabad.
18. Banganga Barrage Canals
Origin / related river: Shohargarh (Siddhartha Nagar) / Banganga River
Beneficiary District: Siddhartha Nagar and Basti
19. Naugarh Dam canals
Origin / related river: Naughad (Ghazipur) / Karmanasa River.
Beneficiary District: Chandauli and Ghazipur
20. Meja reservoir canal
Origin / related river: Meja (Allahabad) / Belan River
Beneficiary District: Allahabad and Mirzapur
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21. Chandraprabha Dam canal
Origin / related river: Chakia (Chandauli)
Beneficiary District: Chandauli
22. Arjuna Dam Canal
Origin / related river: Charkhari (Hamirpur) / Arjun River
Beneficiary District: Hamirpur
23. Ahrira Dam Canal
Origin / related river: Ahrora (Varanasi) / Gadai River
Beneficiary District: Varanasi and Mirzapur
24. Nagva dam canal
Origin / related river: Nagva / Karmanasaha River
Beneficiary District: Mirzapur and Sonbhadra
25. Dhasan Canal
Origin / related river: Jhansi / Betwa River
Beneficiary District: Jhansi and Hamirpur
26. Saprar Canal
Origin / related river: Mauranipur (Jhansi)/ Saprar River
Beneficiary District: Jhansi and Hamirpur
Since the 1960s, Uttar Pradesh has become the largest producer of food grains in the country with the help of high yielding seeds of wheat and rice, excess availability of fertilizers and excessive use of irrigation.
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