Enough drinking water available in Sardar Sarovar Dam for summers: Gujarat government

AHMEDABAD: Denying the reports of acute water crisis in the state, Gujarat Government stated on April 29, that the state has adequate quantity of water available in Sardar Sarovar dam to meet drinking water needs till the end of July. The government also claimed that it is taking every step to ensure drinking water supply from the dam and all appropriate arrangements have already been made.

Nitin Patel, Deputy Chief Minister said, “Government is providing 375 crore liters of water every day to around 4 cr people through Narmada canal network. A part from the total supply, the government is supplying 190 crore liters of water per day to Kutch and Saurashtra through canal network, which is 20 crore liters more than last year. As many as 8,911 villages, 165 cities and six municipal corporations in Gujarat get Narmada water, he added.

The water level in the dam was 119.50 meter, with live storage capacity of 0.93 million acre feet, as of April 29. “The water availability is adequate to meet drinking water needs of the state till July 30,” Patel said. Vijay Rupani, Chief minister will hold a meeting on April 30, to review measures to tackle water scarcity, he added.

In order to ensure drinking water is available in all dry areas of Gujarat, the state government has started 24×7 toll-free helpline number 1916 to redress drinking water complaints. Patel said that citizens in rural areas could call on the number to register their complaints regarding water supply.