Gujarat wants more Narmada water, Madhya Pradesh says no

BHOPAL: Gujarat has sought help from the Centre in getting Madhya Pradesh to release more water with large parts of both states in the grip of a drought.
MP sticks to its stand, and has refused to spare any more from Narmada.

The Gujarat government is desperate as Narmada has dried up in Bharuch industrial region. MP is in equally dire straits. Gujarat had written to ministry of environment and forest in December last year, seeking more water from MP, and followed it up with another letter in March this year.
Gujarat wants the Centre to ask Narmada Control Authority (NCA) to release water.“It is requested to direct NCA to come out with a solution by enhancing quantity of water to be released downstream and release at least 1,500 cusecs during current water year up to June 30 or till a solution in arrived at. This will certainly help,’’ M S Dagur, additional chief secretary of Narmada department, has written to the environment ministry. TOI has a copy of the letter.
The MP government is cautious, not only because of its own needs, but also because of the controversy that erupted last September when it released water to Gujarat prior to the inauguration of Sardar Sarovar dam by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
MP had committed to discharging 5,500 MCM water to Gujarat in the ‘water-year’ from July-June 30. By January, MP had already released 5,000 MCM water but Gujarat wanted 800 MCM more, sources in Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA) told TOI.
Ahead of polls, MP refuses water to Guj
With elections this year in MP and large parts facing severe water crisis, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government refused to give any more water though it received a request from Gujarat through NCA in January, say sources.
On January 28, MP “politely refused” to release 800 MCM water to to Sardar Sarovar dam at one go, sources said.
NVDA vice-chairman Rajnish Vaishya told TOI: “They asked us in January to release water or give permission to use dead storage water. In February, NCA gave permission to use dead storage water.” However, he had no information on Gujarat’s letter to the Centre, he said. “Only the Centre can tell you about this,” he said. “In exchange for water used from dead storage, Gujarat compensates MP in terms of power,” Vaishya added. Several large industries are affected by water crisis in Gujarat and there is pressure on its government to make available water.