The Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada River has flooded to its absolute maximum level of 138.68 metres (455 feet), triggering a ceremonial response from Gujarat’s leadership. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel arrived at the dam site in Ekta Nagar on Wednesday afternoon to offer prayers and perform a 'Jal Poojan', a ritual welcoming the Narmada’s waters. This is the seventh time since 2017 the dam has breached this ceiling, following the structure's dedication by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17, 2017.
The reservoir is now brimming with 9,460 million cubic metres of water. This volume strains the infrastructure that supplies drinking water to over 4 crore people across 10,453 villages, 191 cities, and 7 municipal corporations in the state. Patel noted that Gujarat currently holds 7.9 million acre-feet (MAF) of water for the current year, a figure that just misses the 9 MAF benchmark allocated to the state in normal hydrological cycles.
Patel framed the water surplus as a double-edged sword, urging the public to treat conservation as a collective duty. He stressed the need for planned, economic usage to maximize every drop, even as the basin’s inflows have peaked. The dam’s current status ensures a robust water supply for agriculture and urban consumption, but it also signals a year of heavy monsoon inflows in the Narmada basin.
The next phase of water management will focus on distributing this 7.9 MAF reserve efficiently before the pre-monsoon dry season hits. Authorities will monitor the dam’s spillways closely to prevent any structural stress as the water table remains at its 138.68-metre cap.