Gandhinagar, Sep 30 — The Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam reached its full reservoir level of 138.68 meters (455 feet) on Wednesday, marking the seventh time since 2017 that the reservoir has reached its maximum level and providing a significant water buffer for Gujarat ahead of the summer.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the dam site at Ekta Nagar. He performed Jal Poojan to welcome the Narmada waters as the reservoir reached its full level, amid Vedic chants and traditional ceremonies.
The dam reached the 138.68-meter mark after steady inflows, and has a total water storage capacity of 9,460 million cubic meters (MCM) at this level.
Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the Sardar Sarovar Dam to the nation on September 17, 2017, it has reached the maximum level in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
The Sardar Sarovar project currently supplies drinking water to more than four crore people across 10,453 villages, 191 cities and seven municipal corporations in Gujarat.
Patel said Gujarat currently had around 7.9 million acre-feet (MAF) of water available based on the total water received in the Narmada basin during the current year, against the state's normal-year allocation of 9 MAF.
He stressed the need for judicious, planned use of the available water, saying it was a collective responsibility to use the resource economically and ensure maximum utilisation of every drop.
The government said it also supplied water to North Gujarat and the Saurashtra-Kutch regions through the Sujalam-Sufalam and SAUNI Yojana during the current monsoon.
Under the Sujalam-Sufalam Yojana, 201 MCM, equivalent to 7,118 million cubic feet (MCFT), was supplied during the current water year, filling 1,028 lakes across Gujarat.
Under the SAUNI Yojana, 288 MCM, or 10,189 MCFT, of water was supplied, filling 167 lakes, 1,014 check dams, and 45 dams.
The water was supplied as required in North Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch.
Patel performed Jal Poojan at the Sardar Sarovar Dam for the third consecutive year and offered prayers for the water stored at its full reservoir level.
The government also highlighted that within 17 days of becoming Prime Minister, he approved completing the remaining work on the Narmada Dam and installing its gates.
Minister of State for Water Supply, Ishwarsinh Patel; Chief Secretary M.K. Das; Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Sanjeev Kumar; District Panchayat President Anjanaben Vasava; Lok Sabha MP Mansukh Vasava; Rajya Sabha member Mukesh Rathwa; Nandod MLA Darshna Deshmukh; former minister Shabdasharan Tadvi; Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Puri; Statue of Unity CEO Amit Arora; and senior district administration officials were present during the ceremony.