Saurashtra water crisis to become acute in Nov

RAJKOT, OCT 24: With reservoirs holding hardly any water in the Saurashtra region, the region is heading for a severe crisis by mid-Novemb...

RAJKOT, OCT 24: With reservoirs holding hardly any water in the Saurashtra region, the region is heading for a severe crisis by mid-November. With only scattered rains throughout the season in the region, the dams are dry and have a buffer stock of only 7.6 per cent of their total capacity.

The situation at present is such that Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar districts have no source of water. Bhavnagar and Amreli can depend on Narmada water through the Mahi pipeline which is expected to be completed by November-end. But Junagadh, Jamnagar and Rajkot districts will have no other alternative but to depend heavily on ground water. Junagadh and Jamnagar administration will be forced to impose cuts.

Sources in the water supply department said that there is only 7.6 per cent of water stock in the dams and the anavari (anavari is a process to find out the crop yield) also indicates that the crop has failed completely. Sources said that at some places in Junagadh and Jamnagar, the collectors have already banned construction activity and the Junagadh Collector has already announced cuts after the Diwali festival.

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Sources said that the Jamnagar Municipal Corporation is already supplying water only once in three days. As the water level in Aji 3, Ranjitsagar, Sasoi, Sapada and Und-1 dams is going down fast, the civic body may be forced to give up this once in three days’ water supply after Diwali.

Junagadh District Collector Sunayana Tomar said that after the parikrama’ the district would face a severe crisis. Major sources of water are dry and the district administration has water which will last only for a few days. The collector has written to the State Government about the situation.

Sources in the Junagadh collectorate said that the administration had opted for digging of wells in several areas.

Similarly in Amreli about 200 villages are undergoing a severe crisis and another 100 would be added by the first week of November. The villages in Amreli have no sources and the district administration supplies water once in a week. The villagers in the district have to walk nearly two km to get water. District Collector Anju Sharma admits that the situation is bad, but she is hopeful of getting water from the Mahi pipeline. The Government has now decided to get Narmada water to Amreli through this pipeline. She is hopeful that the water will reach the district by December end.

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But Rajkot district is also undergoing a severe crisis. District Development Officer P N Patel said that by December, nearly 200 villages would be undergoing a severe crisis as the local sources would dry out. With no sources left, the district administration has started exploring the possibility of getting underground water. “If we do not get adequate sources, we may have to requisite private wells,” Patel said.

He said the depletion rate is fast and hence the administration may put a ban on farmers from using the water for irrigation purposes following the decision of the State Government to give priority to drinking water.

At present, Dhoraji, Maliya Miyana and Gondal are facing acute problem and the administration is supplying them water through tankers.