[ad_1]
The Sardar Sarovar Dam in Narmada, also known as the lifeline of Gujarat, is experiencing a rapid increase in water level due to the continuous inflow from Madhya Pradesh as well as rainfall in its catchment areas. This is even though the total stocking of dams in North Gujarat, Kutch and Saurashtra has registered a 10 per cent increase in the past two weeks, due to heavy rains.
Sardar Sarovar, whose flow of 34,000 sekouseks from Madhya Pradesh state, reached 123.8 meters on Wednesday with a sharp rise in the live storage of the dam’s reservoir from 19.09 percent on June 23 to 32.5 percent on July 12. Benefited due to the Narmada Watch Authority (NCA) decision in February to award a share of 11.7 Million Acres (MAF) to Gujarat in the hydro year ending 30 June against the usual 9 MAF bonus awarded by the NCA.
The current total available storage capacity for Sardar Sarovar is 7,721 million cubic meters, compared to 4,799 million cubic meters on June 23. The dam, which has a full reservoir level (FRL) of 138.68 metres, has also seen rainfall in its catchment areas. recording an increase in the water level by 2 cm per hour, according to officials.
The river bed power plant (RBPH) as well as the canal main power plant (CHPH) drive one turbine each to generate power, and thereafter, the total water release from both lower levels is 18,781 cubic feet. The total storage capacity of the dam is 9,460 million cubic meters of water, of which 5,760 million cubic meters is the live storage capacity.
According to the statistics of the State Water Resources and Water Supply Department, as of July 12, 207 major dams, including the Sarovar Sarovar in Narmada, have a collective reserve of 48.74 percent of the total capacity of 25,265 million cubic meters against 39.55 percent. On the 23rd of June. Available live stocking in the main water bodies of the state reached 36.50 percent, compared to 25.22 percent.
Dams in northern Gujarat, which had 46.77 percent of the total storage on June 23, now have 58.71 percent of the water with a total storage of 1,134 million cubic meters on July 12. The current one has a live storage of 55.4 percent, which is higher than the 42.94 percent recorded on June 23.
Kutch district, which has 20 dams, has a similar story to tell.
Kutch’s total storage capacity is 213 million cubic metres, which is 64.1 percent of fill capacity – up more than 50 percent since May 15 when it was 31.35 percent.
The stock of dams in Kutch reached 178 million cubic meters of water on 12 July 2022. Eight dams in the district have been completely filled, according to the data.
The water bodies of Saurashtra also witnessed a turnaround in the wake of heavy rains as the total water level rose from 19.34 percent on June 23 to 60.18 percent on July 12. The total storage of water bodies in the region, numbering 141, is 1,557.67 million cubic meters on July 12, out of a total capacity of 2,588.49 million cubic meters.
Twenty dams are completely filled, according to the data. The region recorded 525.43 million cubic meters of surplus storage compared to 2022 on the same day.
On the other hand, central and southern Gujarat recorded only a slight increase in total as well as live storage in dams. Central Gujarat has a total storage capacity of 32.03 per cent, up from 30.48 per cent on June 23, while southern Gujarat, which has a total storage capacity of 33.83 per cent on June 23, has a current storage of 35.83 per cent.
In southern Gujarat – which has 13 dams, excluding Sardar Sarovar – 3,087 million cubic meters of total storage is available on July 12 out of a total capacity of 8,624.78 million cubic metres. The district registered a deficit of 1,788 MCM compared to 12 July 2022 when the storage of South Gujarat dams was 4,876 MCM.
[ad_2]
