Inflows from MP, Maharashtra lead to heavy water discharge from Gujarat’s Ukai dam; alerts issued
All the floodgates in Surat city have been closed, leading to waterlogging and subsequent closure of schools and businesses in low-lying areas.
4 min read
A locality flooded by the Tapi river after release of water from the Ukai Dam, in Surat, Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. (PTI Photo) Water in the Ukai dam on Gujarat’s Tapi river was a few feet below the danger mark on Monday with the authorities discharging 2.49 lakh cusecs of water after receiving a heavy inflow from the upper catchment areas in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra from Sunday evening.
Officials said the dam had received 5.34 lakh cusecs, as a result of which the water level rose up to 342.86 ft, against the danger level of 345 ft, and alerts had been issued to 20 villages in Surat district. Keeping in mind the water level in the dam, the authorities started discharging water on Sunday evening.
The dam supplies drinking water to Surat city. It also supplies water for irrigation in Surat, Tapi and Navsari districts as well as to industries in Surat.
On Monday afternoon, the water inflow gradually came down and the inflow at 4 pm was up to 1.27 lakh cusecs of rainwater. The outflow has been maintained up to 2.49 lakh cusecs.
The water level recorded at 4 pm was 343.36 ft, against just over one and a half feet below the danger mark. The present storage of water in the dam is 7,109 million cubic metres (96 per cent) against the capacity of 7,414 MCM. The Kakrapar weir, ahead of the Ukai dam, was overflowing with 2.57 lakh cusecs and the water level recorded was 171.10 ft, against the maximum level of 160 ft, on Monday afternoon.
SMC Commissioner Shalini Agrawal (grey saree), with mayor Daxesh Mawani (light pink shirt) and others examined the situation in those low lying areas which witnessed water logging incidents in Surat City on Monday afternoon. (Express Photo)
The authorities said the total discharge of water from the dam into the Tapi river from Sunday night, which continued till Monday, was up to 3.76 lakh cusecs. The level at the Sighanpore weir-cum-causeway in Surat city had gone up to 10.74 m and access to it was closed by the Surat Municipal Corporation.
This is the first time since the onset of the monsoon that the Tapi was seen flowing bank to bank and water was released from the dam. Sources in the municipal corporation said all the floodgates in the city had been closed, as a result of which the drain water backed into low-lying areas in the city, leading to waterlogging. Several schools and businesses in the low-lying areas were therefore closed on Monday.
Talking to The Indian Express, Ukai dam executive engineer P G Vasava said, “There was heavy rainfall recorded in the upper catchment areas of the Ukai dam in MP and Maharashtra on September 15, 16 and 17. This has resulted in a heavy inflow into the dam. In the current monsoon season, we were worried how we will fill the water in the dam. Now that does not look like a problem, as for the first time, the water level in this current season has reached 343 ft.”
“No rainfall has been recorded on Monday in the upper catchment areas. The inflow of rainwater will gradually go down as the time passes. Simultaneously we will also reduce the quantity of water from the dam in the Tapi river. There is nothing to worry now and we are regularly monitoring the rainfall in the upper catchment areas,” he added.
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