Narmada downstream dries up as Riverbed Powerhouse shuts

The Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd(SSNNL) has shut down the 1200 MW capability Riverbed Powerhouse (RBPH) of the Sardar Sarovar dam from April 1 as the extent of the dam lowered to 125.57 meters from its most capability of 138.68 metres.
Along with the closure of the RBPH, the SSNNL additionally opened the gates of the Garudeshwar Weir, situated 12 kilometres downstream of the dam, thus inflicting the river to dry. The RBPH, after producing energy, releases the water downstream, which is then held by the Garudeshwar Weir to permit the Ekta Cruise of the Statue of Unity to run.
The closure of the RBPH would additionally imply a break from the cruise service.

In an announcement on Thursday, RD Bhatt Additional Collector, Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Governance Authority (SoUTA), stated that the suspension of the Ekta Cruise has been “planned” prematurely to be able to additionally permit the work to begin on the event of the Narmada riverbank from Shoolpaneshwar temple to Tyagi ghat because the ‘Narmada Ghat’ on the strains of the ghats alongside the River Ganga in Varanasi, the place night prayers are provided.
The assertion stated, “The Ekta Cruise has been functional continuously for six months and it is necessary to give it a break for maintenance work. The summer is the suitable time since it has been decided that from March 29 to April 15, less water will be released downstream to maintain the level of the river at 26 meters. The Ekta cruise bookings closed for this period in advance as it was reserved for maintenance activity.”
At current, the Narmada dam has a storage of two,227 million cubic meters (MCM) and 6590 cusecs of water are being launched into the canal. The RBPH and the Canal Head Power House of the Sardar Sarovar Dam generated near 245 Million Units of energy per thirty days throughout their operation for the reason that starting of the water 12 months in June final 12 months.