Jaipur : Every year 12 thousand million cusecs of water from the state’s dams is flowing wastefully into the sea. This is so much water that Bisalpur Dam can be filled 11 times. If work is done on increasing the height of dams, building new dams, increasing the storage capacity by removing soil filled in existing dams, then about 75 percent of the total dam filling capacity can be saved for the state’s 8 crore people. In view of this, changes in the guidelines for increasing the height of dams and building new dams are essential. The water filling capacity in the dams of Water Resources Department and Panchayats is about 14500 million cubic meters.
increase the height of the dam
The height of the small and big dams which are overflowing in 2 to 3 years can be increased. These mainly include Bisalpur, Mahi, Parvati, Somkala Amba, Kota Barrage, which are in the category of big dams. However, on increasing the height, the submerged area increases and the nearby villages are affected. In this, the need and the available vacant land can be assessed.
Benefit- If the height increases, the water storage capacity will also increase.
If silt and soil are removed then capacity increases by 10 percent
There are 22 big dams in the state, which have a water storage capacity of 8104.66 million cubic meters. Half of these dams are filled with excess mud and silt. Due to this the dam capacity has reduced by an average of 10 percent. Even if this is removed from all places, 800 to 900 million cubic meters of water can be stored additionally. Apart from these, if we add 669 medium and small category dams, then the figure of additional water storage is estimated to cross 13000 million cubic meters. Currently, the work of Bisalpur has been assigned. Advantage- The contracted company will pay for the mud. There will be less need to build a new dam. Money will be saved on construction cost.
Interlinking grids will be made, empty dams will be filled
In most places, an interlinking grid system should be prepared, i.e. one dam should be connected to another dam. The advantage of this will be that whenever a dam overflows, its water will reach the other dam. Work has to be done on the same lines in PKC-ERCP.
Benefit- Water will reach the empty dams and this will increase the availability of irrigation and drinking water in that area. There will also be possibilities of industrial activities.
Improvement in security structure will stop leakage
There is a need for timely structural improvement and safety measures in the dams as water is leaking from many dams. However, currently 14 dams have been included in this, out of which work is underway in eight.
Benefit- This will increase the safety of dams as well as stop the wastage of water. Currently, several million cubic meters of water is being wasted.
Artificial Reserve Wire
On the lines of Odisha and Telangana, artificial reserve wire can be constructed here as well. It should be built at the place where rain water collects and flows ahead. It can also be built at the foot of the hill.
Advantage- By collecting water at many places, the irrigation needs can be fulfilled there. If needed, there is an option to make it useful for drinking water as well.
Changes in guidelines are therefore necessary
Current provision- The height of big and medium dams is allowed to be increased only when they are filling up 7.5 times in 10 years. That is, on an average, they overflow in one and a quarter to one and a half years. Similarly, there is a provision to fill small dams 5 times.
This amendment should be made- In case of big and medium dams, there should be permission to increase the height even if the dam is filled 5 times in ten years. Similarly, if it is 30 percent in case of small dams, then it will be a matter of concern.
Need for change- Rajasthan may have received good rains this time, but there has been a shortage of water in general. It has also been going through drought conditions. The weather and environment here is different from other states. Here, even if the dam overflows once in four, it is very important to save the same water. What efforts were made for the solution- The then governments, citing the desert state, expressed the need for a change in the guidelines to the Central Government. Changes were asked to be made according to the needs and conditions of the states.
Fact File
There are 691 dams in the state
22 dams are of large scale
669 dams are of medium and small category
12900 million cubic meter water storage capacity
388 dams are currently overflowing
8 thousand million cubic meters of water flowed from big dams in the last fifteen days
