Rs 317 crore to lay pipeline from Dharoi dam to recharge water bodies in Mehsana

The Gujarat government has decided to allot Rs 317 crore to lay a 118.14-km pipeline to take water from the Dharoi dam to recharge 74 ponds and check dams in the Satlasana and Kheralu talukas of Mehsana district, under a project called the Sabarmati Reservoir (Dharoi) project. The two talukas that are not covered by the dam have been facing issues in irrigating farmlands due to the dip in the water table, a statement said Sunday. “The irregular rainfall in the region has led the water table to go down in this area, which is why the farmers did not get enough water for farming”, it said. The farmers in this region earn a living by animal husbandry and farming.

The command area of the Dharoi dam on the Sabarmati River has not been able to cover 37 villages “because of the geographical conditions”, the release said.

The new pipeline will directly connect 53 ponds and eight check dams and eight ponds and five check dams indirectly in the two talukas.

Thus 74 ponds and check dams would get water and help irrigate nearly 5,808 hectares of land. The decision taken by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will help more than 2,700 farmers, the release said.