Kevadia: With an inflow of over 2 lakh cusecs, five gates of the Sardar Sarovar Dam, Gujarat’s largest dam, have been opened by 1.4 meters to release water downstream. Over 95,000 cusecs are being discharged into the river, along with an additional 10,000 cusecs released into the canal.

This follows the release of 1.52 lakh cusecs from Madhya Pradesh’s Omkareshwar Dam after heavy rainfall in the upper regions. The Sardar Sarovar, considered the lifeline of Gujarat, is nearing full capacity, with current storage at 8,695.40 MCM—about 91.92% of its maximum—as of 12 noon today. The water level has reached 136.12 meters against the dam’s full reservoir level of 138.68 meters, leaving just 2.56 meters before it overflows.

Authorities have issued alerts for riverside areas in Narmada, Bharuch, and Vadodara districts. The Chief Engineer of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam has instructed the district collectors to remain vigilant, placing 27 villages under warning. Notably, on August 1, 15 of the dam’s 23 gates were opened, releasing over 3.27 lakh cusecs into the Narmada. This is the second such gate operation this month.

As per the data, the water level has risen by 0.76 meters in the past 12 hours due to inflows from Omkareshwar. At present, up to 95,000 cusecs are being released—45,000 cusecs through the spillway gates and another 45,000 cusecs via the riverbed powerhouse.

Meanwhile, the Ukai Dam, the second-largest in Gujarat, located on the Tapi River, has also filled above its rule level of 102.11 meters (the level to be maintained before September 1), prompting a release of over 44,000 cusecs against an inflow exceeding 45,000 cusecs. The Kadana Dam, the third-largest in capacity, is also at 91% of storage and releasing more than 88,000 cusecs downstream. DeshGujarat