Express News Service
AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate several big projects to the people of Gujarat during his visit to the state on June 10. During his one-day visit, Modi will inaugurate the Astol project that will provide tap water to 4.50 lakh people living in 174 tribal villages and 1,028 hamlets on the hills of Valsad district.
The tribes in the area have been protesting against the central government’s Par-Tapi-Narmada river link project, demanding a white paper despite the Gujarat government’s announcement of scrapping the project.
Giving details of the Astol project, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said, “It was a challenging task to complete the project in Kaprada and Dharampur talukas of Valsad, but I am glad our engineers overcame the hurdles. It’s a technological marvel from the engineering perspective as well. Through this project, we have ensured the availability of water in these hilly areas by taking water to a height of about a 200-storey building (1,875 ft).”
Astol project becomes significant because the topography of Dharampur and Kaprada is such that neither rainwater nor groundwater can be stored due to the rocky and steep terrain. So the springs and streams dry up during summer, and only reservoirs get filled during the rainy season.
This project was launched by the state government in 2018 at a cost of Rs 586.16 crore. It involves lifting of water from the Madhuban Dam to a height of over 1,800 feet to be carried to the 50 villages of Dharampur and 124 villages of Kaprada. This will be the first time that water from the Madhuban Dam will be used for drinking purposes, as until now, it has been used only for irrigation purposes.
Solving water woes
The Astol project was launched by the government in 2018 at a cost of `586.16 crore. It involves lifting of water from the Madhuban Dam to a height of over 1,800 ft to be carried to 174 tribal villages
