Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam reaches full reservoir level of 138.68m

Narmada: The Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam reached its maximum reservoir level of 138.68 metres (455 feet) for the seventh time since being dedicated to the nation in 2017. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited Ekta Nagar on Wednesday and performed Jal Poojan to welcome the Narmada waters amid Vedic chants and celebrations.

The dam, a key source of drinking water and irrigation for Gujarat, currently supplies drinking water to more than 4 crore people across 10,453 villages, 191 cities and seven municipal corporations in the state.

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the Sardar Sarovar Dam to the nation on September 17, 2017, the reservoir has reached its full level of 138.68 metres in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. At its maximum level, the dam has a total storage capacity of 9,460 million cubic metres (MCM).

Speaking after the Jal Poojan, Patel said Gujarat currently has around 7.9 million acre-feet (MAF) of water available, based on the total water received in the Narmada basin this year. The state is allocated 9 MAF of Narmada water in a normal year.

Patel stressed the need for responsible and planned use of water, saying it was the collective responsibility of people to conserve the available resource and ensure the maximum possible utilisation of every drop.

During the current monsoon, water has also been supplied to North Gujarat and the Saurashtra-Kutch regions through the Sujalam-Sufalam and SAUNI Yojana.

Under the Sujalam-Sufalam Yojana, 201 MCM (7,118 MCFT) of water has been supplied during the current water year, helping fill 1,028 lakes across Gujarat.

Under the SAUNI Yojana, another 288 MCM (10,189 MCFT) of water has been supplied, filling 167 lakes, 1,014 check dams and 45 dams. The water has been distributed according to the requirements of North Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch. DeshGujarat