Gandhinagar: In a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday, officials decided to carry out comprehensive inspections of all dams, big and small, across Gujarat. The move comes after the recent collapse of the Gambhira bridge in Padra, Vadodara, which led the Roads and Buildings Department to examine over 1,800 bridges and shut down 133 as a safety measure.

According to a senior official, the state has around 200 dams, and the Irrigation Department has been instructed to assess their condition and carry out urgent repairs wherever necessary.

Meanwhile, as of 10 am today, the water level of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam rose to 121.04 metres for the first time this monsoon, with the inflow recorded at 57,597 cusecs. The increase is attributed to upstream rainfall and the operation of hydroelectric stations in Madhya Pradesh. The dam, which is considered the lifeline of Gujarat, is now 53.98% full, with over 35,000 cusecs of water being released into the river downstream and 4,700 cusecs into the canal. DeshGujarat