Gujarat government on May 27 came out saying it has crossed its desilting targets for water bodies,and honestly,this is one of those announcements which sounds boring at first but matters lot for farmers on ground .
Over past three years,over 221 lakh cubic meters of silt has been removed from reservoirs,canals and rivers across state . Original target was 203 lakh cubic meters,so government is saying work has gone beyond what was planned.
This whole project was handled by Water Resources Department under Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel . Officials said campaign covered total 1,474 locations,and unwanted vegetation was also removed so water bodies can hold more water.
And tbh,desilting is not glamorous work ah,but if done properly,it can change irrigation situation for villages . More storage means more water available when farmers actually need it,especially in dry months.
Few things standing out clearly here:
- Gujarat removed over 221 lakh cubic meters of silt against target of 203 lakh cubic meters.
- Work covered 1,474 locations with average of 88 to 96 heavy machines deployed across sites.
- Manavadar taluka of Junagadh district is expecting better irrigation through Dagadna and Jambuda lakes work.
Ishwarsinh Patel,Water Resources and Water Supply Minister,said this effort has strengthened water storage infrastructure significantly . Average of 88 to 96 heavy machines being used across sites also shows scale was not small only.
One part getting attention is Manavadar taluka of Junagadh district,where work is going on to connect and deepen Dagadna and Jambuda lakes at estimated cost of ₹6.5 crore . Local farmers are hoping this will improve water access for irrigation and drinking purposes .
Farmers like Ramesh Bararia have said they are satisfied with excavation work,which has been going on for more than a month . Expected result is threefold increase in water storage capacity,and around 500 to 600 hectares of agricultural land could benefit from it.
Government is linking this with wider water conservation push through 'Sujalam Sufalam Yojana' and 'Catch the Rain' . Sounds good on paper,and if local farmers actually see more water in fields,then that is real test .
But at same time,water projects in India always need one thing after announcement: maintenance . Because removing silt once is good,but whether these lakes,canals and reservoirs keep working properly year after year… that question stays open.
