Context
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Narmada canal that will bring water to Kutch from the Narmada Sarovar dam in south Gujarat.
About
About Narmada River:
- The Narmada, the largest Westwardflowing river, rises near the Amarkantak range of mountains in Madhya Pradesh.
- It is the fifth largest river in the country and the largest one in Gujarat.
- It traverses Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat and meets the Gulf of Cambay.
- The total length of the river from source to sea is 1312 kilometers(815 miles).
Important Tributaries
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Tributaries in the south
- The Shakkar
- The Sher
- The Tawa (longest tributary)
- The Dudhi
- The Ganjal
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Tributaries in the north
- The Barna
- The Hiran
- The Karam
- The Choral
- The Lohar
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Narmada canal and branches
- This project will cover Saurashtra, Kachchh as well as parts of North Gujarat (Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, and Panchmahal).
Need for the initiative
- To boost the agricultural sector.
- To expand the dairy industry.
Why Kutch is strategic for Gujarat?
- Kutch had the largest cement plants in the world.
- It stood second in the world in welding pipe manufacturing.
- Also holds the world’s second-largest textile plant and it also houses Asia’s first Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Mundra.
- Kandla and Mundra ports handle 30% of India’s cargo, and the district produces 30% of the country’s salt.
- Kutch produces 2,500 MW of power from solar and wind energy.
Sardar Sarovar Project:
- The Project is one of the largest water resources projects of India covering four major states – Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat, and Rajasthan.
- The dam’s spillway discharging capacity (30.7 lakhs cusecs) would be the third highest in the world.
- The Narmada Main Canal would be the largest irrigation canal in the world.
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