Rajkot/Gandhinagar: The water from river Narmada today arrived Rajkot through the pipe line network of ambitious SAUNI yojana amid celebrations by locals as the Aaji -1 dam, the main source of drinking water supply to this important city of Saurashtra, started receiving water at an estimated rate of 200 to 250 cusecs.

SAUNI whcih stands for Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation, a project launched by the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi in September 2012, is for supply of excess water from Sardar Sarovar dam on river Narmada in central Gujarat to 115 dams across Saurashtra.

Chief Engineer of Narmada, Water Resources, Water Supply and Kalpsar department, which looks after the scheme, M P Raval said that the Narmada water could reach Aaji 1 dam after completion of 31 km long pipe-line work of the 3 rd of the total 4 links of the scheme.

‘The dam, the main source of water supply to the city, from this morning is receiving around 200 to 250 cusec of water,’ he said adding that how long it takes to fill the dam depends on several factors including the usage of supplied water.

Post 1958 when the dam was constructed it has been filled with water only 11 times through rain water. With SAUNI link which is to be formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 29, this dam will be filled with water every year.

Meanwhile people in the city today looked overjoyed owing to arrival of water in the dam. Crowd of locals gathered near the dam and were shouting ‘Narmade Sarvade’ (Holy Narmada, Gives us Everything). Lapsi (a traditional porridge made on the occasion of auspicious events) were also made and distributed.

It is understood that the arrival of water in Aaji-1 which was almost empty for months, would to a great extent take care of the water woes of the city.

The work on the around Rs 380 crore link 3 package 4 of SAUNI shceme from Machchu 1 to Aaji 1, was inaugurated in November last year by CM Vijay Rupani. It is completed in a record around seven months time.