Gujarat: Water level rises in dams due to rain

The current available gross storage of Sardar Sarovar is 7,721 Million Cubic Metres (MCM), as compared to 4,799 MCM on June 23. The dam, which has a full reservoir level (FRL) of 138.68 m, has also seen rainfall in its catchment areas, recording an increase in water level by 2 cm per hour, officials said.

The riverbed powerhouse (RBPH) as well as the canal head powerhouse (CHPH) have been running one turbine each to generate power, following which, the combined release of water from both powerhouses down stream is 18,781 cusec. The dam has a gross storage capacity of 9,460 MCM of water, of which 5,760 MCM is the live storage capacity.

According to the statistics of the state water resources and water supply department, until July 12, the 207 major dams, including the Sardar Sarovar in Narmada, have a collective reserve of 48.74 per cent of the total capacity of 25,265 MCM as against 39.55 per cent on June 23. The available live storage in the major water bodies of the state is also up to 36.50 per cent as against 25.22 per cent.

Dams in North Gujarat, which had 46.77 per cent of the total storage on June 23, now have 58.71 per cent of water with 1,134 MCM gross storage on July 12. The four districts of North Gujarat — Aravalli, Banaskantha, Mehsana and Sabarkantha – at present have live storage of 55.4 per cent, which is higher than 42.94 per cent recorded on June 23.

The region of Kutch, with 20 dams, has a similar story to tell.

The overall storage of Kutch is poised at 213 MCM, which is 64.1 per cent of the filling capacity – up by over 50 per cent since May 15 when it stood at 31.35 per cent.

The dams in Kutch had a storge of 178 MCM water on July 12, 2022. Eight dams in the region are completely filled, according to the data.

Saurashtra’s water bodies have also seen a turn around following heavy rainfall with the overall water level increasing from 19.34 per cent on June 23 to 60.18 per cent on July 12. The region’s 141 water bodies have a gross storage of 1557.67 MCM on July 12, out of the total capacity of 2588.49 MCM.

Twenty dams are completely filled, according to the data. The region has recorded 525.43 MCM surplus storage as compared to 2022 on the same day.

On the other hand, Central and South Gujarat have recorded only a slight increase in the overall storage as well as the live storage in the dams. Central Gujarat has a gross storage of 32.03 per cent, as against 30.48 per cent on June 23, while South Gujarat, which had a gross storage of 33.83 per cent on June 23 has recorded a current storage of 35.83 per cent.

In South Gujarat – which has 13 dams, excluding Sardar Sarovar – 3,087 MCM of gross storage is available on July 12 out of the total capacity of 8624.78 MCM. The region has recorded a deficit of 1,788 MCM as compared to July 12, 2022 when the South Gujarat dams had 4,876 MCM of storage.