15 gates of Narmada dam opened as heavy inflow continues, 72% water storage recorded across 207 reservoirs in Gujarat
27 villages in the low-lying areas of Bharuch district have been put on alert.
2 min read
As Narmada river swells across Gujarat, 27 villages in the low-lying areas of Bharuch district were put on alert. (PTI Photo)The Sardar Sarovar Dam in Narmada district started releasing 2.96 lakh cusecs of water downstream after its water level breached the 133-meter mark on Friday, according to officials. The decision was taken due to the steady inflow of water from upstream dams, including Indirasagar and Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh. To manage the water level, the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) opened 10 additional radial gates of the dam. With the first Warning Level of the season achieved, as of now, 15 of the 30 radial gates are open to ensure a safe rise to the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 138.68 metres.
With an inflow of 3.27 lakh cusecs of water into the dam reservoir, the level increased from 131 metres on Thursday to 133.25 metres on Friday afternoon in a span of 24 hours. An increase of nearly seven metres has been recorded since Wednesday this week with the dam level increasing by 15 centimetres per hour.
A Warning Level was sounded on Friday for the Sardar Sarovar with the dam 81.2% full, recording a gross storage of 7666.20 million cubic meters (MCM). Compared to August 1 last year, the dam has recorded 2355.07 MCM increase in storage this year due to the early arrival of monsoon. On August 1, 2024, the dam had a gross storage of 5311 MCM. SSNNL has also continued to generate hydropower through five functional units of the Riverbed PowerHouse and two units of the Canal Head Powerhouse.
As Narmada river swells across Gujarat, 27 villages in the low-lying areas of Bharuch district were put on alert. Water schemes across the state have recorded a storage of over 50% since the onset of monsoon. While dams in North Gujarat are 61.75% full, dams in Central Gujarat recorded a storage of 76.60% until Friday. South Gujarat has a storage of 66.05% while Saurashtra has recorded a storage of 66.18%. The state has recorded an average of 72.19% water storage across 207 reservoirs, including the Sardar Sarovar dam with the available gross storage of 18237 MCM, which is about 4571 MCM in excess of the recorded storage of 13666.05 MCM on August 1 last year.
You May Like
Photos
