Sinking feeling: water demand has surged with increased rice growing in Punjab. Weak monsoon rains this year have exacerbated the shortfall Punjab is the granary of India thanks to marvels of Victorian engineering such as the Roper Headworks. The 127-year-old system of small stone dams and hand-operated iron gates diverts the Sutlej river into the 3,200-kilometre Sirhind canal network which irrigates 1.3m hectares of land. However, while the colonial-era system and five other large canal networks across Punjab are crucial for farmers, their water-carrying capacity has been gradually eroded as silt, crumbling brick linings and vegetation have increasingly clogged the channels. Routine maintenance has been postponed for years as irrigation officials have struggled to find revenues because water is given free to farmers.