PM Modi Studies Dutch Dam to Help Gujarat’s Big Water Project

The upgrade costs nearly  €800 million .

What Is Gujarat’s Kalpasar Project?

The Kalpasar Project is one of India’s most ambitious water plans. It aims to build a giant dam across the  Gulf of Khambhat  in Gujarat. The goal is to create a huge freshwater reservoir. The dam would stop river water from flowing into the sea and store it instead.

Project highlights:

• Dam length: nearly  30 kilometres

• Freshwater storage: about  10 billion cubic metres

• Rivers that can feed it:  Narmada, Sabarmati, Mahi, Dhadar

The project aims to support:

• Drinking water supply

• Irrigation for farms

• Industrial water needs

• Flood management

• Transport connectivity (reducing travel distance in Gujarat)

Why Is India Interested in Dutch Water Engineering?

The Dutch model is attractive because it solves many problems with one system. India needs modern infrastructure that does multiple jobs at once.

Key lessons from the Dutch:

Why Is the Kalpasar Project Still Challenging?

The Kalpasar Project has been discussed since the 1970s. But it is still not built. There are serious concerns:

• Environmental impact

• Disruption of marine ecosystem

• Harm to fisheries