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How did the Upper Ganga Canal support farming in northern India?

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Physical map showing the Brahmaputra and Ganges river basins and their drainage networks across northern India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet (China), and Myanmar. The map uses color shading to indicate elevation, from the high Himalayas in brown and white to lowland plains in green, and marks major rivers, tributaries, glaciers, dams, irrigated areas, and regions subject to flooding. An inset locator map highlights the region within South Asia. — Ganges River The Brahmaputra and Ganges river basins and their drainage network.

The Upper Ganga Canal, which originates at Haridwar, is a vital component of the irrigation infrastructure in northern India. By providing a reliable water supply to the Ganges-Yamuna Doab, this extensive canal system—which, along with its branches, spans 5,950 miles (9,575 km)—has significantly boosted the production of essential cash crops, including sugarcane, cotton, and oilseeds.1

This system is part of a broader network of irrigation canals in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar that has been developed and extended over centuries, from the era of Mughal rule through the British period, to support the agricultural economy of the Ganges valley.1