Sujalam Sufalam, billed as world’s largest water conservation scheme, launched by then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, achieved a milestone with Gujarat Government assisted by social organisations and people’s participation, desilted 13,000 ponds and check dams and 32 rivers across the State. The monumental work was achieved in a month’s time that aimed to created an additional storage capacity of 11 lakhs cubic feet rain water.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who led the entire exercise in the State told The Pioneer, “The works that remained incomplete in the Sujalam Sufalam Jal Sanchay Abhiyan will be completed by June 8. Rupani was upbeat as the State-wide desilting of water holding bodies, will result in 11,000-lakh cubic feet of additional water storage capacity and will help the State accelerate at double speed. Since monsoon is expected to arrive in the State by mid-June, this mass scale task was started with seamless coordination from all the agencies and stake holders to ensure that rain water was not allowed to go waste and was stored in the dug up water bodies”.
“Narmada river, which is lifeline of Gujarat has 48 percent less water, hence we decided to embark upon to generate awareness among the people water conservation and how it was imperative to rejuvenate our water bodies and rivers”, the Chief Minister said.
“The campaign vindicates the adage that water is life; water is the basis of development, a measure of development — useful for all flora and fauna”, Rupani said.
“The campaign undertaken with people’s cooperation has generated huge quantity of loose soil/clay that will help increase agricultural production. Having launched the country’s biggest water conservation campaign, Gujarat has emerged as the leader. It entailed cleansing the state’s 5,500 km long canal network, including Ahmedabad’s Kharicut Canal” Rupani said.
Responding to allegations leveled by the main opposition Congress of Rs 2,400-crore corruption in the entire exercise as against this campaign’s total worth Rs 200-crore, Rupani retorted, “Congress leaders see corruption even in dreams or else would not leveled such baseless charge. They had leveled similar charges of ‘purchase scandal’ in grass ‘distributed free’ in Banaskantha. It is no pre-poll campaign but pro-people initiative, keeping the requirements of future generations”, he added.
The campaign, which began with 527 JCB machines and 2,000 tractors-dumpers with the involvement of 27,000 workers, now deploys 4,600 JCB machines and 16,000 tractors-dumpers and employs 3-lakh workers. “Water conservation campaign with people’s cooperation to prove as philosopher’s stone for Gujarat’s development”, Rupani said .
“The primary motive behind this gigantic drive across all the 33 districts of Gujarat was to increase the rate of groundwater recharge through artificial techniques along with the natural stream network in the upstream and revive the water bodies in the downstream. It also achieved its objective to recharge aquifers and ground water and maintain the flow of surface water in targeted rivers for a longer period”, the Chief Minister said.
Sujalam Sufalam scheme, kick started by the Chief Minister in Kasvav village of Tapi district culminated at Dhundhuka of Ahemdabad district.
