Modi reviews drought situation in Gujarat

New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reviewed the drought and water scarcity situation in parts of Gujarat at a high level meeting here.

The meeting was attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel and senior officials from the central and state governments, a statement said.

Modi, after being informed about what all was being done to provide relief to the affected, appreciated the efforts of the state government. He called for further action to completely eliminate the need for tanker water supply.

Elaborating on Gujarat's efforts for water conservation, recharge and creation of water bodies, the chief minister said that 1.68 lakh check dams, 2.74 lakh farm ponds, 1.25 lakh 'Bori Bandhs' have been made with a storage capacity of 42.3 billion cubic feet water, benefiting 6.32 lakh hectares, it said.

Piped water supply was being provided to 77 per cent of the households in the state.

In spite of deficient rainfall for the second consecutive year, the work done for the state water grid has resulted in only 568 tankers being required for water distribution in some remote tail areas, the release added.

The state has made significant progress in micro-irrigation. One hundred per cent coverage of drip/sprinkler irrigation has been achieved in 3,789 villages, it said.

Measures to boost progress in fishery, bee-keeping, pearl culture and seaweed were also discussed.