At the inauguration of the new 33 spillway gates of the Tungabhadra Dam in Munirabad, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, C R Patil, stated that if the silt is removed from the reservoirs, the capacity will increase by 30% and the income of farmers will double. The event was organized in collaboration with the Water Resources Department and the Tungabhadra Board at the government high school grounds in Munirabad. Most of the dams in the country have more than 15% silt, which has significantly reduced the water storage capacity of the reservoirs. The central government is preparing a massive plan to remove silt from the dams across the country. The technical assistance for this plan will be provided by the central government, and the implementation will be the responsibility of the respective state governments. If this plan is successful, the water storage capacity of the Tungabhadra reservoir can be increased by 25-30%. The minister appreciated the cooperation between the states, citing the example of the Tungabhadra Dam, where the new gates were installed in just a few days due to the cooperation and financial assistance provided by the states. He also mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision is to connect the country through roads and water projects. If more water is available to farmers, they can grow two crops a year instead of one, which will double their income. During the event, the minister also appealed to the public to bring it to the notice of the chief ministers of the respective states if the ‘Har Ghar Jal Yojana’ is not being implemented properly in the villages.
Central Government to Launch Massive Plan to Desilt Dams, Including Tungabhadra Dam: Union Minister C R Patil