GANDHINAGAR, SEPT 16: For the first time in 35 years of its existence, Gujarat's capital Gandhinagar can hope for a permanent source of drinking water, with thegovernment proposing to construct a weir across the Sabarmati river. This comes in wake of reports that the state is heading towards another drought.The estimates by the irrigation department come to Rs 18 crore. Minister for Small and Medium Irrigation Schemes Nitin Patel has expressed his approval.Confirming this, Irrigation Secretary M.S. Patel told The Indian Express here yesterday that the project designs would be ready by the next week. He said the agency to construct the weir had also been decided upon. ``I have already discussed the project with the Minister and he is expected to clear the file'', Patel said, adding that the Minister had also visited the site of the propsoed project.After the project gets a nod from the government, the work on it will start in January and will be completed in a year, he said, pointing out that the proposed weir will have 400 metres of width and will be six feet high. When constructed, it will not only help recharge the groundwater of Sabarmati river but will also provide drinking water to over 1.75 lakh population of the Capital.Executive Engineer B.S. Patel said since the site for the proposed weir lies just behind the famous Sanskruti Kunj where an inter-state cultural festival is held annually, the place could be developed into a picnic spot, providing recreational facilities like boating in the reservoir, swimming pool and amusement park.Chief Engineer (Capital Project) P.J. Patel said the weir, when completed, would offer a permanent solution to the drinking water problem facing the residents of Gandhinagar. Of late, this problem has compounded, not only by the failure of monsoon for the last two seasons, but also because the Dharoi dam waters have stopped flowing into the Sabarmati river in the wake of the Raska Weir project for providing drinking water to Ahmedabad city.Besides the rain water, a large quantum of stormwater received by the capital during the monsoon will also start flowing into the river with the two phases of the multi-crore stormwater drainage project having already beenimplemented in Gandhinagar. The stormwater will thus help augment the reservoir level of the weir, Patel said.The Chief Engineer said that at present, the 47 borewells in different sectors were the only source of drinking water for the people of Gandhinagar. The total drinking water requirement in Gandhinagar is 4.375 million litres per day (MLD), against which, the supply of just about 4 MLD is being maintained through the borewells. ``The weir project will definitely reduce the pressure on the groundwater which has already been identified as an over exploited zone by the Central Ground Water Authority'',he said.
