In the offing: Six new barrages, state’s first rubber weir in Ahmedabad

The six caller barrages volition beryllium built astatine an estimated outgo of Rs 1,500 crore and volition instrumentality the full fig of barrages connected the stream betwixt Dharoi dam (in Mehsana) and Vasna Barrage (in Ahmedabad) to 14 by the adjacent 3 years. While 5 barrages are completed, 3 are nether construction.

In the agelong run, immoderate of these barrages are besides expected to assistance clasp the aboveground h2o successful the riverfront information of Ahmedabad, which the authorities authorities is readying to widen up to GIFT City successful Gandhinagar. In 2002, the authorities diverted the waters of the Narmada stream into the Sabarmati to support it rejuvenated passim the year.

Currently, the h2o level is maintained successful the riverfront by releasing Narmada h2o into the Sabarmati by closing the gates of the barrage astatine Vasna from wherever the h2o is released for irrigation successful downstream villages.

The caller barrages planned connected the Sabarmati stream are betwixt the existing Dharoi dam successful Mehsana territory and Vasna Barrage successful Ahmedabad metropolis – wrong a full region of 148 kilometre. The full magnitude of Sabarmati stream – from its root successful Aravalli hills successful Rajasthan to outfall into the Arabian Sea adjacent Gulf of Khambhat – is 371 km.

Union Minister for Home and Cooperation and Gandhinagar MP Amit Shah laid the instauration stone of 1 of the barrages astatine Ambod colony of Mansa tehsil successful Gandhinagar territory connected January 14 wherever helium had mentioned the “14 dams (barrages)” coming up connected the Sabarmati river.

Apart from Ambod, enactment is successful advancement to physique 2 barrages astatine Fatepara colony of Mehsana territory and astatine Acher successful Ahmedabad city.

The 5 barrages already existing are successful the villages oregon determination of Valasana and Hirpura of Mehsana district, Lakroda and Sant Sarovar successful Gandhinagar territory and city, and Vasna barrage successful Ahmedabad city.

Six caller barrages person been projected astatine Chhelpura, Techava, Fudeda, Falu and Ged successful Mehsana district, and Rajpur successful Gandhinagar district.

Sharing details of the 9 projected oregon under-progress barrages connected the Sabarmati, a elder serviceman of the Water Resources Department of Gujarat authorities said that they are moving up with a people of completing the task successful the adjacent 3 years.

Elaborating connected the objectives down the program to person the barrages, the serviceman said, “The main nonsubjective is to amended the groundwater levels successful the villages astir the stream portion replenishing it with maximum disposable water. And the 2nd nonsubjective is to rejuvenate the Sabarmati stream truthful that it tin person aboveground h2o for the maximum portion of the year.”

The serviceman added, “Currently, the Sabarmati stream gets dried up successful the months of October-November. Once the barrages are built, we expect the stream to person aboveground h2o astatine slightest till February. As the crushed h2o levels improve, the play of the stream having aboveground h2o whitethorn get further extended. This volition besides supply h2o information to the portion portion decreasing the complaint of depletion (of groundwater level).”

The serviceman further said, “The h2o volition besides beryllium to beryllium an alternate root of Narmada h2o connected which the portion is heavy dependent.”

As per the latest study of the Central Ground Water Board — National Compilation connected Dynamic Ground Water Resources of India, 2024 — retired of the full 252 tehsils of Gujarat, 56 are categorised arsenic Semi-Critical, Critical oregon Over-Exploited units successful presumption of yearly groundwater extraction.

Out of the 56 specified tehsils, 18 are from the districts of Ahmedabad, Mehsana and Gandhinagar.

Over-exploited units bespeak tehsils wherever crushed h2o extraction is exceeding the yearly crushed h2o recharge.

The captious units are tehsils wherever the signifier of crushed h2o extraction is betwixt 90-100 per cent of the replenished groundwater. And the semi-critical units are those units wherever the signifier of crushed h2o extraction is betwixt 70 per cent and 90 per cent of the replenished groundwater.

While 8 of the 9 projected oregon under-progress barrages are being built by the Water Resources Department, the 1 astatine Acher successful Ahmedabad metropolis is being built by the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Limited (SRFDCL). The barrage astatine Acher volition beryllium a rubber barrage.

A elder serviceman of SRFDCL said, “The rubber barrage volition beryllium built astatine the outgo of Rs 55 crore. It volition beryllium portion of a bridge-cum-barrage task of SRFDCL with a full estimated outgo of Rs 290 crore. The span volition beryllium 1 much iconic span connected the Sabarmati stream successful the city.”

The rubber barrage volition beryllium made of air-filled flexible rubber membrane which tin beryllium enactment to usage by inflating and deflating to store oregon merchandise the h2o successful the river.

The serviceman added, “This barrage volition beryllium adjuvant successful getting h2o for Riverfront, which the authorities is readying to widen close up to Gandhinagar. It volition besides beryllium utile successful providing h2o during situation situations.”