The Indian Express    06.09.2012

RMC breathes easy as dams get fresh inflow

The city, which has been reeling under drinking water crisis, can breathe easy for a few weeks as the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) is likely to maintain its alternate day supply following fresh inflow in three major dams.

The fresh quantum, however, can sustain the supply only for a month. This assumes significance as the additional Narmada supply is not expected to reach before November.Following rains over the last three days, Bhadar and Aji I dams received fresh inflow up to one foot while Nyari I dam registered a 2.5-foot increase in the level by Tuesday evening.

RMC officials said that collectively, the three dams have registered a fresh inflow of 96 million per cubic feet. They said this will help in maintaining alternate day water supply of 20 minutes till the first week of October.

At present, the RMC is allotted 100 MLD Narmada water per day, which is not sufficient to maintain the daily water supply. The state government has promised supply of additional 40 MLD Narmada water, but this is not likely to start before November as the lining work is still on.

Mayor Janak Kotak is schedule to visit Gandhinagar soon with a plea to provide additional Narmada water soon even as the civic body has planned to dig bores near the Nyari dam site and install new hand-pumps across the city.Meanwhile, of the 104 dams in the Saurashtra region, 56 have registered fresh inflow up to 17 feet, bringing some relief to the parched land.