Vadodara: An action plan prepared based on the recommendations made by the Vishwamitri River Flood Control and Prevention Committee, led by B.N. Navalawala, a former Union Secretary, was presented before the standing committee of Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) on Tuesday.

Addressing the media, Municipal Commissioner Dilip Kumar Rana said, “A presentation was made today regarding the action plan for the implementation of the recommendations provided by the Vishwamitri River Flood Control and Prevention Committee. A similar presentation was made in the coordination committee meeting a few days ago, and today it was presented to the members of the standing committee of VMC, in the presence of the Mayor. The presentation included the entire plan for the desilting work that is to be carried out in the Vishwamitri River. Information regarding the workforce, equipment to be used, and the timeline for the work was provided in the presentation.”

The plan also includes constructing new check dams upstream and repairing old check dams. The work to be carried out by the irrigation department was also part of the presentation. The plan for dredging work in the Ajwa and Pratapura reservoirs, so they can store more water, was also presented.

Pinkyben Soni, Mayor of Vadodara, said, “Desilting and resection work on the Vishwamitri River, including building new check dams, will be done to increase the capacity of 23 check dams that are already present, and 12 new check dams will be built. These 35 check dams will help reduce the water inflow into the city, increase the buffer capacity, and recharge the groundwater. Dredging work in Ajwa Sarovar will begin after February 1st and will continue for around 130 days, so its capacity will also increase. Dredging will also be carried out for the Pratapura reservoir, and around 11 agencies will work on this.”

The wildlife clearance certificate for the construction of temporary ramps on the riverbank is pending, while the environmental clearance has been received.

A ward-wise action plan has been made to address local waterlogging in low-lying parts of the city. The work will also be done at all inflow points that bring water into the city, which will include dredging, increasing their flow capacity, and other measures.

Rainwater harvesting and stormwater works, as well as work on the Bhooki Canal in the north zone for its diversion and gradual redirection into the Vishwamitri River, are also planned. Dredging and expansion are also planned for the channel in the north zone that carries water into Vishwamitri. Discussions regarding the cleaning and dredging of all the channels that bring water into the city were also held. The whole action plan is nearly final, and the work is likely to begin soon.

A total of four tenders, which include dredging work for the Vishwamitri River and cleaning and dredging of stormwater channels, were presented before the standing committee. However, before proceeding with the standing committee, these tenders will be presented before the general board meeting.

Furthermore, the VMC has planned to create a total of 3 buffer lakes on the Surya River, which flows from Ajwa Sarovar to Vadodara city. These buffer lakes will be constructed in the areas of Dena, Bhaniyara, Sukhlipur, and Kotambi. This will provide a new water storage capacity of 6 MCM. A recommendation has been made to the Collector for land acquisition for the lakes. The estimated cost for constructing these lakes is expected to be between Rs. 10 crore and 12 crore. The work is expected to be completed by May 2025. DeshGujarat

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