StatesGujarat
Gujarat offers power or cash to neighbours for water before rabi season, says Paatil
The Union Jal Shakti Minister said in Surat that the state wants water from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel due in Delhi on Tuesday to take it up.
Key points
- Gujarat has offered electricity or money in return for water from three neighbouring states.
- Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is expected to discuss it with their chief ministers in Delhi on Tuesday.
- Devbhumi Dwarka got only 5.47% of its normal monsoon rain this year.
Gujarat has offered to give neighbouring states electricity or pay them compensation in return for water, as it tries to make up a shortfall before the rabi sowing season, Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Paatil said on Sunday.
Speaking at an event in Surat, Paatil said the state was seeking water from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Under the offer, Gujarat would either share power generated from the water or pay for it. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is expected to travel to Delhi on Tuesday to discuss the proposal with the chief ministers of the three states.
Paatil blamed the shortage on the El Niño weather pattern, but said Gujarat was in a better position than several other states.
A patchy monsoon
On paper the state did not have a bad year. Gujarat received 94.83% of its average monsoon rainfall, according to a State Emergency Operations Centre report tabled in the assembly last month. The rain fell very unevenly, however. Devbhumi Dwarka recorded just 5.47% of its normal rainfall and Porbandar 18.12%, leaving the two coastal Saurashtra districts short of water for the winter crop.
The opposition Congress has demanded that the government formally declare water scarcity in the affected areas.
The proposal now goes to the chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan at Tuesday’s meeting in Delhi, with rabi sowing in Gujarat depending on how much water arrives in the weeks ahead.