Gujarat explores ways to store surplus water from Narmada, Ukai, Kadana dams

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government has launched an exercise to explore ways to conserve and utilise surplus water flowing into the Arabian Sea from the Narmada, Ukai and Kadana reservoirs during the monsoon. An estimated 15,000 million cubic metres (MCM) of water flows into the sea every year, according to a news report.

According to a Times of India report, the initiative aims to secure additional water supplies, particularly for industries, amid projections of rising demand from emerging sectors such as semiconductors and data centres.

Estimates suggest that around 9,500 MCM of water from the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada flows into the sea annually. The corresponding figures for the Ukai and Kadana reservoirs are more than 3,000 MCM and 2,200 MCM, respectively.

The government is examining two broad approaches to conserve the surplus water, the report said. One option involves increasing the storage capacity of existing reservoirs through measures such as dredging and other interventions. The second is to identify existing waterbodies that could store water diverted from dams during periods of excess discharge.

The initiative comes amid projections of a substantial rise in Gujarat’s water requirements over the coming decades, driven by industrial expansion and the growing needs of emerging sectors. DeshGujarat