AHMEDABAD: The Opposition Congress claimed the state's BJP government refused to release the water from the dam when farmers needed it and instead stored it so that the reservoir overflowed on September 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday, Congress also alleged that the government decided to open the floodgates of Narmada Dam yesterday (without any prior warning in nearby areas), and released 18 lakh cusecs of water at once leading to misery and devastation in the lives of ordinary people.
The Congress said that this ultimately prompted the government to release a significant amount of water from the dam on Sunday, resulting in a flood in the downstream Bharuch district and "large-scale damage" that "affected lakhs of people," Congress alleged that it is a "man-made disaster."
Gujarat Congress working presidents and MLA Jignesh Mevani wrote on social media that, “Over 10,000 people in Narmada, Vadodara, and Bharuch districts have been evacuated, their lives jeopardized, and their livelihoods and houses ruined, all for the sake of displaying a God-image of one guy.”
“Even the much-touted Satute of Unity is currently underwater. The entire governmental apparatus is empty and devoid of imagination. This is nothing short of a crime against humanity!” he further said.
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Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi held a press conference in Ahmedabad and said “If the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) and the Central Water Commission (CWC) had begun forecasting the flow based on the hourly catchment area rainfall figures they received, they could have begun increasing the downstream release from the SSP on September 14 to account for these figures.”
Giving Data Doshi Alleged that “The Meteorological Department observed exceptionally high district-wise rainfall for the 24 hours ending 08-30 hours on September 16, 2023. Among the others are Khargaon (144.6 mm), Alirajpur (108.2 mm), Dewas (149.7 mm), Dhar (80.4 mm), Harda (205.2 mm), Jhabua (92.4 mm), Khandwa (147.6 mm), and Narmadapuram (131.7 mm). CWC and SSP authorities receive hourly rainfall information in the watershed, thus they could have projected the flow and increased the carrying capacity of the downstream river even before the IMD announced the 24-hour figure at 08-30 hrs.”
“According to the Central Water Commission On September 14, the Burgi Dam gates on the Narmada were opened. The levels of the Narmada's Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar dams had begun to increase by the late evening of September 15, By late afternoon, both the Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar dams had reached their FRL (Full Reservoir Level). This was yet another signal for SSP authorities to begin opening the SSP gates on September 14 and 15, since the water discharged from the upstream dam was bound to reach the SSP. However, as of 10 a.m. on September 16, the SSP authorities had still not opened any gates from the Sardar Sarovar project, with solely River Bed releases.” Manish Doshi said
According to Doshi, five districts are affected, and the Gujarat Congress will write to the President of India, the Central Water Commission, and both the central and state governments about it.
