Water flow in the Upper Ganga Canal at Haridwar resumed at midnight between November 7 and 8, ending an 18-day annual maintenance shutdown, officials told the Press Trust of India (PTI). Water levels began returning towards Har Ki Pauri and the other ghats that had run low during the closure.

Source: PTI via ThePrint

The closure had begun around midnight on October 20 for cleaning, desilting and repairs. Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department executive engineer Vikas Tyagi was quoted by Amar Ujala as saying the essential canal work had been completed. The shutdown is an annual exercise, but this year it also served preparations for Haridwar's Ardh Kumbh in 2027.

What it means for Ghaziabad and Noida

Amar Ujala's Ghaziabad bureau reported that irrigation officials expected canal water to reach the city by late evening on November 8, with Ganga water distribution to resume from Monday, November 9. Areas awaiting relief include Indirapuram, Vaishali, Vasundhara and parts of Noida. Two treatment plants at Siddharth Vihar, with capacities of 240 million litres a day and 120 million litres a day, had been shut during the closure and were to restart as canal water returned, the newspaper reported.

Officials were careful to separate the stages: releasing water at Haridwar does not by itself confirm that every household connection downstream is already receiving normal supply. The household restart from November 9 is an expected timetable reported by Amar Ujala, not yet a verified account of water reaching homes.

Ghat repairs complete, finishing work due by November 30

Ardh Kumbh Mela Officer Dayanand Saraswati told PTI that repairs to submerged sections of 34 existing ghats on the Upper Ganga Canal and 22 on the escape channel had been completed. Work is now moving to finishing and beautification of new ghats, with a target of November 30. A second report, in Utkal Post, also confirmed the canal had reopened on Diwali after the closure for repairs and desilting, with devotees taking a dip in the Ganga.

The Upper Ganga Canal, built in 1854 and running about 560 km from Haridwar towards Kanpur, supplies irrigation across districts of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh and feeds drinking-water systems downstream, which is why its annual closure and reopening affect towns far beyond Haridwar.