Prime Minister dedicates first phase of SAUNI Project in Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched the first phase of SAUNI-Saurastra Narmada Avataran Irrigation Project at Sanodara of Jamnagar district in Gujarat.

Under the project, nearly 10 dams and reservoirs of Rajkot, Jamnagar and Morbi will be filled up with the water of Narmada river. The Prime Minister released water from AJI-3 Dam.

The 12,000 crore rupees project will fill up nearly 115 dams of Saurashtra region which faces shortage of water for irrigation and drinking purposes. Saruashtra, which comprises 11 districts, faces drought like situation often and has been reeling under severe water scarcity due to scanty rainfall in the last two years.

This project is considered to be an ambitious one for Prime Minister Modi. It was announced in 2012 when hewas the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

Gujrat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said that the four-phased project is expected to be completed before 2019. He said that it would irrigate over 4 lakh hectares of land and solve the water problem of the region to a large extent.