147 out of 204 Gujarat dams at 50% water level, only 12 over 70%

Gujarat’s water storage figures are presenting a very worrying picture as out of the total 207 dams, only 147 are below 50% capacity. Only 12 dams have more than 70% water storage available.

The weather department has predicted Gujarat monsoons to arrive on June 15. This delay is a matter of concern for the state as the water inflow to these dams may begin in July

Saurashtra and Kutch regions are the most severely impacted regions. Only 34.91%, 31,915 million cubic feet (MCFT) of water is left in 141 dams of Saurashtra. In the two months of summer, 18.46% of water has been used from these dams while 10 dams of Saurashtra have already completely dried up. 

Water storage in 20 dams of Kutch had slipped below 40% on March 27. Today, the dams of Kutch are storing only 32.40% water.

Currently more than 65% dams are empty in a total of 161 dams across the Saurashtra and Kutch regions, significantly increasing the regions’ dependence on Narmada waters. 

Along with local dams, the water in Narmada Dam, the lifeline of the state, is also decreasing rapidly. Two months ago, the total water storage of the state including Narmada Dam was 6.02 lakh MCFT, which was 67.47% of its total capacity. Today, this storage has come down by 13.16% to just 54.31%.