PM Narendra Modi reviews drought, water scarcity in Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reviewed the drought situation in parts of Gujarat at a meeting in New Delhi.

Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel and senior officials from the central and state governments were present in the meeting.

Modi appreciated the efforts taken by the state government. He wished to eliminate the need for tanker water supply.

Elaborating on Gujarat’s water conservation efforts, recharge and creation of water bodies, the Gujarat chief minister claimed that 1.68 lakh check dams, 2.74 lakh farm ponds, 1.25 lakh ‘Bori Bandhs’ have been made with a storage capacity of 42.3 billion cubic feet water, benefiting 6.32 lakh hectares

Piped water supply was being provided to 77% of the households in the state, Gujarat CM claimed.

In spite of deficient rainfall for the second consecutive year, the work done for the state water grid has resulted in only 568 tankers being required for water distribution in some remote tail areas, a press release said.

The state has made significant progress in micro-irrigation. 100% coverage of drip/sprinkler irrigation has been achieved in 3,789 villages, the release added.

Measures to boost progress in fishery, bee-keeping, pearl culture and seaweed were also discussed.