The chocking of siphons caused by siltation and the failure of Gujarat State Water Supply and Sewerage Board (GSWSSB) to set up a storage facility near Malia are being cited as some of the main reasons for the 35 meter-long breach that developed in the SSNNLs Dhaki-Malia branch canal. Sources in the state Narmada Department said on Tuesday that some of the 60 siphons built on the 117 km-long Dhaki-Malia branch canal were found choked because of the siltation. This apparently caused an over topping of the canal at Malvad point of the branch canal,resulting in the breach. The sources also attributed the breach to the poor maintenance of the branch canal. We have not been able to carry out the annual maintenance at the 117 km-long branch canal for the last seven years because of the shortage of technical staff,said a senior official. When contacted,SSNNL chairman N V Patel said,In Gujarat,most drinking water schemes are canal-based. Hence,it is not possible for the Nigam authorities to shut down Narmada canals the Malia branch canal included for maintenance purpose particularly during the summer. He praised SSNNL engineers for repairing the breach on an urgent basis and said the water supply would be restored by tomorrow for Kutch,Jamnagar and Rajkot districts.
