Rajasthan govt approves Rs 100 crore project to mitigate water crisis

JAIPUR: In a bid to reduce the problems faced by people residing in three water scarcity-hit districts, the Department of Water Resource, Government of Rajasthan has announced that it will expand the capacity of the tunnel that links Sei Dam with Jawai Dam in Pali. The Rs 100 crore capacity-expanding project, which was announced by Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister, Rajasthan, will help mitigate the acute drinking water crisis in three districts in Rajasthan – Pali, Sirohi and Jalore. Currently, drinking water is transported to Pali and other districts from Jodhpur via trains.

Tender process for the project has been initiated with a sanctioned budget of Rs 15 crore for the financial year 2020-21. The completion of the project will lead to an increase in the tunnel’s capacity from 34.13 million cubic feet per day to 73.87 million cubic feet per day.

According to Naveen Mahajan, Secretary, Department of Water Resources, over the years, it was observed that Jawai Dam in Pali district, one of the most important dams in western Rajasthan, was not filling up to its full capacity (which is 7327.50 million cubic feet). This was because of change in rainfall patterns and disturbances in the catchment area. Thus, the decision for rejuvenating the dam was taken in order to fill the gap in the demand and supply of drinking water and water for irrigation in the three districts.