JOIN USWith weak rainfall over Madhya Pradesh reducing inflow of water to Narmada reservoir and its catchment areas, authorities have been forced to reconsider their priorities for water distribution.
Anxious to conserve enough water to meet the drinking needs of Gujarat’s arid regions, they are looking to beef up security along the Narmada canal by the Narmada battalion to ensure farmers do not draw water for irrigation purposes.
Patrolling by the Narmada Battalion, a special force created last year to secure the dam and canal network, has already been strengthened in Limdi in Surendranagar, Madka and Tharad in Banaskantha to prevent unauthorised irrigation.
Officials at the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL), who manage the canal network across the state, said that they have been instructed to supply water only for drinking and not for irrigation. SSNNL has already stopped producing electricity from the dam’s 1,200-MW riverbed power house beginning early June to prevent water from flowing into the sea following instructions from the Narmada Control Authority. Power generation has not resumed yet.
Gujarat government had earlier decided to keep water only for drinking and irrigation purposes. The directives to close down riverbed powerhouse comes as a result of fears among officials that the reduced inflow of water coupled with continued outflow would critically lower water levels and make it difficult for them to meet the needs of those in arid Kutch-Saurashtra.
They hope that the monsoon would pick up in the coming days. The authorities operate only the canal grids that supply water to municipal corporations and municipalities and agencies that supply drinking water.
“Due to the delayed monsoon this year, there have been demands from farmers all over the state for water to irrigate their lands, which we are not in a position to meet.” a senior SSNNL official said.