On Tuesday, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced a Rs 1566 crore allocation for pipeline projects to fill water reservoirs in North Gujarat.
According to an official statement, this will address the water shortage issue in 135 villages in the Vadgam, Palanpur, Patan, and Shiddhpur areas.
The announcement follows the ongoing agitation by the Karmavad and Mukteshwar Jal Andolan Samiti for water for 125 villages. Villagers want the Narmada command area to include Karmavad Lake and Mukteshwar Dam.
Jignesh Mevani, a sitting MLA from Vadgam, has issued an ultimatum that if the issue is not resolved and the government does not announce plans to fill these reservoirs, he will lead an agitation under the slogan “No water, No vote.”
Chief Minister Patel announced the government’s plan, stating that Rs 1566.25 crore will be allocated to lay pipeline from the Sujalam Sufalam project. This includes the Kasra-Dantiwada pipeline project, and Rs 192 crore has been set aside for the Dindrol-Mukteshwar pipeline project. Water shortage issues in villages in the Palanpur and Vadgam talukas will be addressed once the project is completed.
A 77-kilometer-long pipeline will be built from Kasra to Danitwada, carrying 300 cubic metres of water from the Narmada main canal and filling 156 lakes in 73 villages across four talukas. In addition, the government intends to fill 96 lakes in 33 villages in the Patan district. The project will benefit approximately 30,000 villagers.
The Narmada will also be used to fill the Mukteshwar dam. The Dindrol-Mukteshwar pipeline will supply water to the 24 villages of Vadgam taluka, as well as Patan and Siddhpur talukas. A total of 42 lakes will be filled with Narmada water.
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