Kalpasar project further delayed for a year

In 2008,B N Navalawala,advisor to Chief Minister Narendra Modi,had said the project would be launched by 2010-11. The new announcement was made while Patel was addressing a workshop on groundwater management in the coastal areas of Gujarat.

The emphasis was also put on salinity ingress in the Saurashtra region. “It is reported that an area of 7,000 sq km is affected by salinity due to inundation by tidal waters,” said R C Jain,Regional director,Central Ground Water Board,Gujarat.

Localised indication of reversal of ground water gradient is being observed in the coastal Saurashtra — around Mundra and Mandvi area in Kutch district. “Of the total 400 sq km coastal area in Kutch district,3,600 sq km account for salinity affected area,” said Jaspal Singh,CEO of Wasmo.

One of the main causes of over exploitation is inadequate recharge of groundwater reservoirs. “Even the government agencies who are responsible for its assessment,development and management have given little priority to control and take suitable measures to recharge the aquifers,” said Shivraj Gadhavi,Hydrogeologist,Vivekananda Research and Training Institute,Kutch.

In its report,the task force constituted by the government on groundwater recharge system has suggested that as much as 2,058 million cubic metres of groundwater mainly in north Gujarat,Saurashtra and Kutch could be recharged by constructing over one lakh structures involving an estimated cost of Rs 3,465 crore. The structures include percolation tanks with shallow recharge wells (21,200),dug wells (42,000),check dams (23,600) and 200 metre-depth recharge wells (22,400).

Rs 1,156 cr approved for coastal zone management
NEW DELHI: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Thursday approved a Rs 1,156-crore Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) project,which among other things cover coastline survey,capacity building of the people living near coast,expand their livelihood opportunities and demarcation of sensitive and hazardous zones. The project has a special component for surveying the coastline touching eight states from Gujarat to West Bengal for which a sum of Rs 125 crore has been earmarked. “The project will aim at capacity building of the community living near the coast,mapping and demarcation of hazard lines,wetland conservation activities,pollution control and anti-sea

erosion measures,” said Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh. PTI