Narmada Main Canal | |
Name Other: | Sardar Sarovar Canal |
Subdivision Type1: | Country |
Subdivision Name1: | India |
Subdivision Type2: | State |
Subdivision Name2: | Gujarat, Rajasthan |
Length: | 532km (331miles) |
Width Min: | 10.3m (33.8feet) Width at tail |
Width Max: | 76m (249feet) Base Width at source |
Depth Max: | 7.6m (24.9feet) depth at source |
Discharge1 Max: | 1132.66 cumec (40000 cusec) at source |
Discharge1 Min: | 70.79 cumec at tail (Gujarat-Rajasthan Border) |
Source1: | Sardar Sarovar Dam |
Source1 Location: | Kevadia, Narmada district, Gujarat, India |
Source1 Coordinates: | 21.8303°N 73.7472°W |
River System: | Narmada |
Extra: | Aforementioned information retrieved from the Narmada Control Authority[1] |
The Narmada Canal is a contour canal in Western India that brings water from the Sardar Sarovar Dam to the state of Gujarat and then into Rajasthan state. The main canal has a length of 532km (331miles) (458km (285miles) in Gujarat and then in Rajasthan). It is the second longest canal in India (after the Indira Gandhi Canal) and the largest canal by water carrying capacity (40,000 cusec at source). The main canal is connected with 42 branch canals providing irrigation to farmland (about 18 lakh hectares in Gujarat and 2.5 lakh hectares in Rajasthan). The canal is designed to transfer 9.5abbr=offNaNabbr=off water annually from the Narmada Basin to areas under other river basins in Gujarat and Rajasthan. (9 MAF for Gujarat and 0.5 MAF for Rajasthan).[2]
Soon after the completion of the construction project, the Narmada canal was inaugurated on 24 April 2008.[3] It has carrying capacity of 40,000 cubic foot per second (cfs or cusec) at its head in Navagam and is decreased to 2,600 cusecs at Sanchore. On the way, Narmada main canal crosses many rivers and water bodies. The main canal itself can hold 220 MCM (Million cubic metre) of water at full supply depth. It is designed not only for the water supply but also the storage of water to improve the response time of the system.
The main canal has 38 branches in Gujarat.
Saurashtra Branch is the largest of these branches which has a length of 104.46 km and discharge of 15002cuft/s. The Saurashtra branch canal has 3 mini hydroelectricity plants to utilize the energy from water at the fall of 52m (171feet) in first 59 km. Subsequently, in the 59 to 104.46 km span it has five pumping stations to pump the water 66m (217feet) up before tailing into Bhogavo - II reservoir.[4]
Although the Narmada River does not flow through Rajasthan and no area of Rajasthan falls in the Narmada basin, considerations were made to irrigate its lands with the water from the Narmada River that flows through the neighboring state of Gujarat, to encourage peasants to settle in the areas along the international border with Pakistan. After traversing 458km (285miles) in Gujarat, the Narmada canal enters Rajasthan near Shilu in the Sanchor tehsil of Jalore.[5] The main canal, with 9 major distributaries, serves an area of, including 124 villages.[6] In total, it was designed to irrigate in 233 villages in Jalore and Barmer and provide drinking water to 1,336 villages.
The Narmada canal has a few unique features compared to other projects:[7]
See main article: Canal Solar Power Project. Solar canals are being installed along a pilot project section of the Sanand Branch Canal near Chandrasan village to generate of electricity. The solar panels are forecast to also reduce evaporation of water from the canal by per year.[8] [9]