As chief minister, Narendra Modi brought water to the parched regions of Gujarat by implementing various schemes, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday.
He was speaking after inaugurating or laying foundation stones of various projects worth Rs 241 crore at Ambod village in Mansa taluka of Gandhinagar district.
The schemes launched by Prime Minister Modi during his tenure as Gujarat CM helped raise groundwater levels and improve the quality of drinking water in north Gujarat, Shah said.
Among the projects launched on Wednesday was an artificial lake at Mahakali Mata temple at Ambod, a check dam and a barrage.
"After becoming Gujarat chief minister, Narendra bhai worked to quench the thirst of Gujarat. When I became MLA for the first time in 1997, all the MLAs of north Gujarat would seek permission for borewells, which was not granted because of the region being a dark zone where groundwater levels had dropped below 1,200 feet," he said.
Modi also successfully dealt with the obstacles created by Congress in the completion of the Narmada dam project, Shah claimed.
"Modi struggled and overcame the hindrances created by Congress to complete the Narmada scheme. And after he became prime minister, the work to install gates on the Narmada dam was also completed, and today its water has reached every household," he said.
Modi also worked to conserve rain water that flowed out into the sea and channeled it to 9,000 lakes in Gujarat. He conceived of the 'Sauni Yojana' to take water to every village of Saurashtra, Shah added.
People in north Gujarat were worried about the water situation, and Modi brought in the Sujalam Sufalam Yojana to provide succour to the region, the BJP leader said. By channeling excess water of the Narmada into lakes and creating 14 dams on the Sabarmati river, he helped raise groundwater levels in north Gujarat, Shah further said.
A river and lake filled with water help groundwater levels to go up by 40-50 feet. North Gujarat started getting drinking water without excessive fluoride after these schemes were implemented, he said.
The check dam at Ambod will bring about a change in the lives of local farmers and children who suffer due to high fluoride levels in drinking water, the Union minister said.
The Gujarat government will also develop the 550-year-old temple at Ambod to give a boost to tourism in the region, he said.
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