Vadgam(Banaskantha District), May 27: In times of drought, water breeds bad blood. And bad blood breeds conflict. Residents of Vadgam taluka have vowed not to let the State Government draw water from Mukteshwar dam for supplying it to the parched villages of adjoining Patan district. Their logic is simple: the dam belongs to the taluka and so does the water.So, when officials of the Gujarat Water Supply and Sewerage Board (GWSSB) went there on May 19 to commission the main water-works, which draws water from the dam, and the pipeline, both built at a cost of Rs 20 crore, villagers drove them away.Earlier, on May 15 when GWSSB field staff tried to conduct a trial-run, the villagers of Nizampura village, which is just 500 metres downstream of the dam on the Saraswati river, had blocked the approach road. Sensing their mood, the officials beat a retreat.At one stage, the Government thought of starting the water supply under police protection, but dropped the idea for fear of violence. For, the anti-project sentiment has spread in the entire taluka and even a Mukteshwar Jal Bachao Samiti has been formed. Asserts Usmanabhai Mansuri, a Samiti member: ``We want water for irrigation first. Only then will we allow the water to be taken for the pipeline project.''The scheme is meant to draw water from Mukteshwar dam and supply it for the Sami-Harij Group Water Supply Project, here the water has a high fluoride content (2.2 pcm). The idea is to mix water from Mukteshwar and bring the fluoride content within permissible limits. The scheme will also benefit about 50 additional villages in Sami and Harji talukas and Siddhpur town.But the Samiti is adamant and has come up with a number of demands. While the GWSSB is willing to accept some, it describes others as impractical. For instance, the Samiti says water equal to the quantity drawn from Mukteshwar should be made available from the Dharoi dam. ``This is just not possible because the Mukteshwar dam is about 15 metres higher than the Dharoi dam,'' explained an official.GWSSB officers blame Vadgam Congress MLA Daulatbhai Parmar for inciting trouble. Narmada and Major Irrigation Project Minister Jaynarayan Vyas says that the agitation was ``politically-motivated'' and adds: ``Drinking water has a priority over irrigation.
