Rajkot: Rajkot has received 11 inches of rain so far in this season, which is around 30 per cent of the season’s average rainfall for the city and district. However, Aji 1 dam, which accounts for 35% of drinking water supplied to the city, has not even received 11 inches of water. Owing to this, the irrigation department has begun discharging water under the ‘Sauni Yojana’ in the reservoir.

Water is being pumped at several locations, which is being carried by a pipeline with 3,000 mm diameter from Machu dam. Water had reached Tramba, which is about 30 kilometer away from Machu dam, by Wednesday afternoon. Aji 1 dam is about 10 kilometers away from Tramba and there are around 5 checkdams that will be filled enroute before water reaches Aji 1 dam.

The plans are to discharge around 180 MCFT of water, at the rate of 15-20 MCFT per day. Of the 36 crore liter water that the Rajkot Municipal Corporation lifts from different dams to satisfy the drinking water needs of the city, 13.70 crore liters of water comes from Aji 1 dam alone. Even if the dam overflows, the need to discharge water into it under ‘Sauni Yojana’ arises two or three times during the entire year in order to ensure Rajkot city can be supplied drinking water for 20 minutes every day. DeshGujarat