Gujarat covers water-scarce villages through pipelines

Ahmedabad, July 2 (UNI) Gujarat has covered over 3,600 ''no source'' villages with various water pipeline projects thereby reducing the number of villages served with water tankers from 4,054 in 2000-01 to 368 this year.

The State Government has also taken up water supply schemes based on surface water rather than groundwater, made possible due to water flowing down the Narmada Main Canal and its subsidiaries of the inter-state multipurpose Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP), a press release here today said.

Even while the Rs 7,200-crore Narmada Canal based pipeline project to provide water to 104 towns and 9,633 villages, is under various stages of completion, 57 towns and 2,091 villages have been covered as on April 1 this year. Another 400 villages are proposed to be covered during 2006-07.

Work on the 458 km long Narmada Main Canal, originating from the dam site at Kevadia Colony near Gujarat-Madhya Pradesh border has been completed up to 357 km, besides 22 out of 38 branch canals.

Another 4,904 villages are proposed to be covered under Rs 1,946.33 crore Sujalam Suphalam Yojna. As per a survey conducted in the year 1992-1993, 8,275 villages faced water scarcity.

A special budgetary provision of Rs 104 crore and Rs 56 crore has been made during the current year for two westernmost districts of Kutch and Jamnagar districts respectively.

UNI VKC-MP MAZ YA BST2054