Even as people in the downstream of Bharuch district of Gujarat continue to face difficulties, the debate continues over the move of the state government to suddenly release water on September 17 from the Sardar Sarovar Dam. A large number of villages in Bharuch and neighbouring Vadodara district got submerged.
10,000 people had to be evacuated to safer places. Officially, there has been no loss of lives. On Friday, Congress leader Jaynarayan Vyas alleged that it was criminal negligence on the part of Sardar Sarovar Project authorities to not have released water and let the dam be filled to full height.
The water was released after Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel performed a puja at Ektanagar, previously known as Kevadia Colony, near the SSP dam site. The full reservoir level is being seen by many as a gift of sorts to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday.
Vyas, a technocrat, joined the Congress a few months ago. He has been a minister in the BJP government and is an expert on water resources and the Narmada project.
18 lakh cusecs of water were released and people in the downstream were caught unaware. Vyas also alleged that the canal network is incomplete and as a result, the government has not been able to fulfil its promise of giving excess water to the parched regions of Kutch, Saurashtra and North Gujarat.
He said that rainfall details in Madhya Pradesh are available on a daily basis and there is nothing like a cloud burst took place.
A good number of experts on water resources and activists have flayed the Gujarat Government's move to hold water till September 17 whereas, according to them, it could have been gradually released on September 15 and 16.
Minister and State Government spokesperson Rushikesh Patel stated on record that the opponents are trying to misguide the masses by terming it as a man-made disaster whereas it was natural.
“The situation resulted due to heavy rainfall and release of water from the upstream of river Narmada,” he said. Patel also provided the details of the water levels during those crucial days. Politicians, especially of the ruling BJP, had to face the wrath of the masses when they visited the flood-affected areas.
There are reports of shortage of sanitary pads and essential commodities. The state government has so far not announced any monetary assistance.
