Narmada water set to reach Dholidhaja dam from Sunday

The drinking water woes of 651 villages and 11 towns of Surendranagar district may come to an end soon, with the Narmada water reaching the Dholidhaja dam from November 29.

Located at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch, Surendranagar and other towns in the district receive drinking water supply once in five days, making life extremely difficult for locals. The drinking water situation in villages is far worse because of the heavy fluoride content in the underground water, making it completely non-potable.

But the towns and villages with a population of over three lakh are likely to get daily drinking water supply with the Saurashtra Branch Canal (SBC) of the Narmada main canal carrying the Narmada water to the Dholidhaja dam. From there, the water will be taken to the filtration plants for further supply to the consumers.

According to Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) officials, though the filtration plants and overhead water tanks had been constructed, they could not be used properly because of obstacles in transporting Narmada water to Dholidhaja dam. The dam is located at 66 metres above Narmada canal at Kadi, making gravitational flow impossible.

SSNNL had to construct a total of five pumping stations to lift water and take it to the Dholidhaja dam. According to SSNNL officials, these pumping stations have been set up at Dhanki, Lilapur, Lakhtar, Bala and Sajdhar between Kadi and Dholidhaja. “It was really a Herculean task to construct pumping stations and take water to a higher level and difficult terrains of Surendranagar district,” said Harshad Thakar of SSNNL.

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