Excess water from dams to be stored underground

It is called Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) plan. A high-level state-sponsored experts' committee report, headed by top water resources expert Tushar Shah, is in the process of finalizing the plan, which is based on the premise that the state's dams are "incapable" of overcoming Gujarat's water current woes.

The report says despite a total live storage of the state's 191 dams, big, medium and small, being 20,484 MCM, they suffer from a very high degree of water loss due to evaporation.

"Saurashtra-Kutch dams suffer from an evaporation rate of 45 per cent, followed by central Gujarat's 34 per cent, north Gujarat's 32 per cent and south Gujarat's 16 per cent," a senior official said. He added, "Given this framework, one can't allow more dams to come up. Dams are a costly and time consuming affair. They have led to the major problems of rehabilitation of the displaced people."

Of 38,100 MCM of surface water available in Gujarat each year, on an average 20,480 MCM is stored in the state's dams. The remaining 17,620 MCM or 46 per cent of the total surface water runs off as it is not stored. "Of this, 11,000 MCM will be stored in the proposed Kalpasar lake in the Gulf of Khambhat, while the remaining 5,620 MCM, more than the Narmada dam's capacity, will be stored underground by undertaking a massive programme to recharge underground aquifers", the official said, adding, "It will be undertaken in phases in basins other than Kalpasar influence areas."

In the first phase, the committee has recommended construction of 21,200 percolation tanks, 22,400 recharge wells and 23,600 check dams, even as modifying 42,000 existing wells. "A Rs 3,500-crore programme, under this phase 2,100 MCM of water will be stored in underground aquifers. This is to be followed by another but much bigger plan to store 3,520 MCM of water, which runs off due to flooding of Narmada river each year. A complete road map has been worked out. Soon, we plan to put up the entire scheme as a project in action", the official said.