Guj: Sardar Sarovar Dam water level over 135m for first time

The water level in the Sardar Sarovar Dam on Monday crossed the 135-metre mark, prompting Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani to claim current storage was enough for drinking and irrigation purposes in the state for the next two years.

The water level saw a rise of one metre since August 28 and currently stands at 135.02 metres, the highest since the height of the dam was raised to 138 metres following the installation of gates in 2017.

"It is for the first time the water level has reached 135 metres. The current storage in the dam is sufficient to provide water to the people for drinking purposes and for irrigation for the next two years. We are getting blessings of the Narmada," Rupani told reporters in Rajkot.

According to the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited control room, the dam is currently receiving 2.42 cusec (cubic feet per second) of water from upstream, of which 2.16 lakh cusec water is being released in the river downstream by opening 10 of the total 30 gates.

The dam, with a maximum capacity of over 5,800 million cubic metres (mcm), is currently holding 4,607 mcm of water, officials said.

Rupani had earlier indicated that the state government was planning to fill the dam to its full reservoir level of 138 metres.