THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY June 27, 1953 Tapti Project Comes to Life

HE rivers Tapti and Narmada from the ravages of floods. But power canal from the Kakrapar T present many common fea­ though the findings were more or Weir to the river edge opposite tures. Rising in , less the same, it is the Tapti Valley Piparia village to take advantage of they flow out to the Gull of Cam- Project which has been taken up the 107 feet drop this tunnel will bay and their profiles arc also very while Narmada has not yet got be­ have, for generating electricity. similar' So far the waters of these yond the blue print stage. The The first section comprises nar­ rivers have not been utilised for first stage of the Tapti Valley Pro­ row strips of about 5,200 acres of irrigation or ever for navigation. ject, viz, the reservoir at the lower land along both banks of Tapti west They frequently overflow their most reach of the river and the of Bhusaval. This area can be de­ banks at the lower reaches and major portion of the irrigation veloped with a pick-up weir across flood the country. Of the two, per­ canals to be fed from it has now the river at Hatnur just above haps the Tapti has been more been completed. The Kakrapa' Bhusavai and two storage dams at troublesome that way, having been Weir is to be formally opened by Nawtha and Atwadhna both situat­ responsible for flooding the the Planning Minister, Shri Gul- ed in Madhya Pradesh, The area plain once in four years on the ave­ zarilal Nanda on the 29th of this irrigated will lie entirely within rage during the last 60 years. month. District of Bombay. The The Central Water and Power The Tapti Valley Project con­ installed capacity at the two dams will be about 30,000 kw. Commission took up a study of the sists of three sections, each of. two river valleys early in 1947, and which can be developed inde­ The second section of the valley, came to the self-same conclusion pendently though they form one comprising 400,000 acres is also for both. There were excellent integrated scheme for the entire situated in the Khandesh District storage sites both on the main valley. The third section covering and can be commanded by canals rivers and some of their tributaries the lower portion of the basin—in taking off from a dam across Girna where, by constructing darns of view of its attractive possibilities of at Panjhan. There is a small medium heights, reservoirs of vary­ controlling flood and irrigating the storage dam across the Girna and ing capacities could be formed to rich, black soil—was taken up first. some bhandheras (small weirs in hold the excessive precipitation of This section, half of which has now Khandesh. This was all th rains during months and been completed, provides for a Weir tempt that had been made L this water could be utilised for at Kakrapar and canal systems on past to store and utilise the W perennial irrigation, power genera­ both sides of the river to irrigate of the Tapti. The dam now pro tion, extension of navigation, fish some 6½ lakh acres. The other half posed is of course quite a different .culture and other purposes. is still under investigation and in­ proposition. This section has been By allowing a reserve for flood cludes the budding of a storage darn investigated in detail by the Public absorption in the lowermost reser­ higher up the river and construction Works Department of Bombay. voir of Tapti, floods in Surat plain of canals to irrigate another 4¾ Though all the three sections are could he completely controlled, lakh acres. It i n. v o 1 v e s the desirable for the simultaneous while for Narmada this would re­ raising of the storage darn to development of the basin, limita­ quire reserving the upper portion of its full height and installation of tions of finance and technical per­ their capacities for flood absorption electric power and transmission sonnel weighed the decision in in some of the lower reservoirs in lines. The third stage envisages favour of the most economical and order to save the Broach District the construction of a 16 mile long quick yielding of the schemes for

724 June 27, 1953 implementation in the first instance. The total length of the weir is 2,039 feet and the maximum height above the deepest river bed is 45 feet. The designs for the weir and the canal head regulators were finalised only after they had passed the test at the model experiments undertaken at the Central Water and Power Commission's Research Station at Poona. The site selected for the weir enjoys certain advan­ tages. Located at the exit of the river from the hilly and forest tracts of the basin to the plains of Guje- rat, 50 miles upstream of Surat city it will command the greater part of the cultivable area of the district. While the weir has a strong rocky foundation, the canals that take off from either side run mostly in the alluvial soil. All material for the construction of the project, except cement, was available close to the site. The Tapti Valley Railway branching off from the main broadgauge Bombay - Ahmedabad line at Surat afforded easy transport for men and materials. The Bombay Government's anxiety will have a more adequate and The weir has a catchment area in this respect was the factor which balanced supply of power. Much of 26,000 square miles having an evidently turned the scale in favour time will elapse, however, before average rainfall of 28.12 inches. of Tapti. There was no need to that position is attained. The mean annual runoff is 16.41 depend upon the co-operation of million acre feet. The weir will the Madhya Pradesh Government, feed the canal system on both banks at any rate for the projects which commanding a gross area of were to be taken up immediately. 8,00,000 acres of which 6,52,000 Madhya Pradesh, being surplus in will be irrigated annually after full food, has naturally a different order development of the canal system. of preference. Narmada Project Of the total length of 850 miles of has another hurdle to cross—four canals intended for conveying the Governments instead of two, have water to the area to be irrigated, to be consulted, Bhopal and more than 600 miles have been dug Madhya Bharat being the other and work on the remaining is pro­ two! ceeding. These will be completed by June 1955. The irrigation of this area will not only increase food production The area to be served by the but is also likely to augment sub­ canal system is traversed by several stantially the production of long large rivers, necessitating the con­ staple cotton on land which now struction of a number of huge and grows a. scanty crop of short staple expensive aqueducts. Two main cotton and jowar, in the absence of structures already constructed in the irrigation. Another immediate uppermost reaches of the Left Main benefit will be the reclamation of canal are the masonry dam at some 30,000 acres of khar (salt in­ Molicher with spillway, and an fested) lands. earthen dam at Ratania Khari. The Further developments in the number of masonry structures on Tapti River Valley Scheme will, the canal system will exceed one however, be more concerned with thousand. Detailed soil surveys the development of hydro-electric have been carried out to ensure that power. South Gujerat is served intensive irrigation will not lead to mainly by thermal power, which water-logging and salt efflorescence. means a few diesel engine genera­ The priority given to Tapti over tors for electric supply in towns and the Narmada Project and the deci­ factories, in the absence of coal, and sion to start work only on the lowest the power station recently set up at reaches of the river were dictated Uttran is the main supplier. With by the necessity for increasing food the development of hydro-electric production in the Bombay State. power on the Tapti River, the area 725 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY June 27, 1953

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