Releasing month-wise data provided by the Narmada Control Authority (NCA), well-known Gujarat farmers’ rights leader Sagar Rabari, in a letter to chief minister Vijay Rupani has said that, citing low rainfall, the state government has stopped providing irrigation water starting with February 15, even though there has been enough water in the Narmada dam’s reservoir.
The letter says, as of today, out of 90 lakh acre feet of water from Narmada, Gujarat has received 63.38 lakh acre feet of water. Further, the level of water in the reservoir is constantly going up, reaching 119.50 meters, as the inflow from Madhya Pradesh is continuing. On the other hand, as against 17.92 lakh hectares (ha) of the Narmada command area, only 6.40 lakh hectares, which is just about a third of the command area, is being irrigated.
Rabari continues, of the 90 lakh acre feet of water, if we set aside 10 lakh acre feet for drinking water and industry, we are entitled to get 80 lakh acre feet for irrigating 17.92 lakh hectares. If calculated on this basis, currently, 6.40 lakh ha area should have received 28.57 lakh acre feet of water for the entire irrigation season.
And if one adds 10 lakh acre feet for drinking water and industry, and 28.57 lakh acre feet for irrigation, the total comes to 38.57 lakh acre feet of water, says Rabari, adding, accordingly, while Gujarat should have received about 63.38 acre feet of water, it is difficult to understand where did 24.81 lakh acre feet of water go. He wonders if water has been handed over to industry.
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