Gujarat: 9,000 shifted as Narmada river continues to swell

SURAT/BHARUCH: The Narmda river continued to hover around the danger mark near Bharuch town on Tuesday following release of 9 lakh cusec of water from the Sardar Sarovar Dam. Over 9,000 people have been shifted to safer places in Bharuch, Narmada and Vadodara districts over the past couple of days, said state government officials.
While the rains subsided, the Narmada river continued to swell due to heavy inflow from upstream dams.The water level reached 35.05 feet near Golden Bridge on Tuesday evening.
At least 52 villages along the bank on Narmada river were put on alert on Tuesday. Over the last three days, rain-related accidents claimed 12 lives in the state, said Commissioner of Relief Harshad Patel.
“With continuous inflow of water from upstream dams, mainly the Indira Sagar in Madhya Pradesh, the water level of the Sardar Sarovar Dam (SSD) on the Narmada has now reached 133 meters against its top level of 138.68 meters,” he said.
The state government said the water discharge in the Narmada would be curtailed late on Tuesday as the outflow from Indira Sagar dam has been reduced from 11.40 lakh cusec to 7.40 lakh cusec.
After a heavy spell for three days, the rain took a break on Tuesday with only light to moderate showers recorded in some parts of Gujarat.