Govt has sought drinking water management plans from municipal corporations
In Rajkot, only 420mm of rain has fallen so far — sharply lower than the 1,214mm recorded by Sept 9 last year. The shortfall has forced RMC to seek 800 million cubic feet (mcft) of water under Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) scheme to replenish the Aji and Nyari reservoirs. Conditions are more acute in neighbouring Jamnagar, which has received only about 20% of its seasonal average rainfall. The Jamnagar civic body has discontinued daily supply in six of its 16 wards and now provides drinking water there for about 20 minutes on alternate days. After receiving 550 mcft of Sauni water around three months ago, JMC has sought another 400 mcft. AMC also has the capacity to draw around 300 million litres per day from borewells.
Because of the storage in Ukai dam , though the reservoir level is lower than last year, surat civic officials said drinking water supply to the city is unlikely to be affected.
Municipal commissioner Deepesh Kedia said the civic body is also preparing to curb non-essential water use if the situation worsens. In many places, aquifers have gone dry or only saline water is available,” said Yogesh Jadeja, director of Arid Communities and Technologies, an organisation working on participatory groundwater management. He said Ahmedabad’s raw water comes through the Narmada canal and that good rainfall in Madhya Pradesh has provided some reassurance. We do not foresee a drinking water crisis next summer,” the official said.
The urgency is most visible in Saurashtra. The reservoirs supply drinking water to Rajkot city. The request is unusual during peak monsoon, as civic bodies typically seek SAUNI water later, while the scheme mainly supports irrigation during monsoon and winter. “The groundwater situation in Saurashtra and Kutch has deteriorated. “However, as a precaution, we are planning to activate eight French wells around the Sabarmati river. Poor rainfall in Ukai’s catchment has prevented the reservoir from filling further. Surat currently draws its municipal supply largely from the weir-cum-causeway on the Tapi river. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Ahmedabad | Silver Rate in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad | Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Petrol Price in Ahmedabad | Diesel Price in Ahmedabad | CNG Price in Ahmedabad | LPG Price in Ahmedabad
RMC typically seeks another 2,000-2,500 mcft under Sauni between Feb and June. This year, it has already submitted an advance estimate seeking 4,000 mcft to see the city through until the next monsoon.
“If we do not get good rainfall by the end of this month, we will have to rationalise water supply,” RMC commissioner Tushar Sumera said. He said the civic body has begun cracking down on illegal connections and water theft, while restricting non-essential bulk use by water parks, construction sites and swimming pools.