Gujarat Govt Extends Narmada Water Supply for Kharif Crops in Water-Scarce Areas

Gandhinagar: Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel chaired a high-level meeting in Gandhinagar to review the state’s drinking and irrigation water situation and ensure adequate water availability during the Kharif season, a press release said.

The meeting resulted in three key decisions to provide additional Narmada water for irrigation through the Narmada canal network and the Sujalam-Sufalam Yojana.

The State Government has decided to provide 5,000 cusecs of water from the Narmada Project for 20 days for irrigation in the Mahi Command area.

The government has also decided to extend the supply of Narmada water to Devbhumi Dwarka and Jamnagar districts by another 10 days. The two districts, which received relatively low rainfall, have been receiving water through Link-1 of the SAUNI Yojana since August 19, 2026, to protect standing crops.

In North Gujarat, the government has decided to continue the supply of 2,000 cusecs of Narmada water for another 15 days through the Sujalam-Sufalam Pipeline Yojana. The water supply to the region has also been in place since August 19.

During the meeting, officials held a detailed discussion on the state’s irrigation and drinking water situation, including the potential impact of prevailing El Niño conditions on rainfall and water availability.

Chief Minister Patel directed officials to prioritise drinking water requirements if adequate rainfall is not received in the coming period and reservoir inflows do not improve. He instructed officials to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted drinking water supply in urban and rural areas, particularly in water-scarce and vulnerable regions.

He also directed the concerned departments and district officials to continuously monitor rainfall, reservoir levels and water availability while ensuring the efficient and judicious use of available water resources.

The State Government will continue to monitor the situation and take necessary decisions based on rainfall, reservoir inflows and overall water availability, keeping the interests of farmers and citizens in mind.

Patel also appealed to citizens and farmers to use water efficiently and support water conservation efforts. DeshGujarat