To ease crisis, Gujarat asks cops to save water at jails, police stations

Bracing for the looming water crisis in Gujarat this summer, the state home department has issued an advisory asking officials to ensure that water is not wasted at police stations, staff quarters, or in jails.

Calling for “judicious use of water” in general, the advisory also lists several specific steps to be taken to stop wastage of water in the form of overflowing from overhead tanks at police stations, offices of senior officers as well as at staff quarters across the state.

Gujarat is staring at a water crisis due to plummeting water levels at the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada river and in the catchment areas of upstream dams in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh that received scanty rainfall in 2017.

As a result, Gujarat would get only 4.71 Million Acre Feet (MAF) water from dams on the Narmada this year, 45% of the sanctioned share of nine MAF.

As per the advisory, senior officials need to check as well as get repaired any leakage in pipelines or storage tanks at police stations, offices and staff quarters under their jurisdiction.

The advisory asks officials to “monitor the filling of water in tanks at police stations and staff quarters to avoid overflowing”.

As several police stations as well as jails have gardens, officials have been asked to install sprinklers or drip irrigation system to save water.

The advisory also cautioned against excessive use of water in washing police vehicles and asked officials to make sure that drivers turn off the tap after finishing their task.

The circular also directed offices and other premises under home department to implement a system to store rain water.

AHMEDABAD: GUJARAT IS STARING AT A WATER CRISIS DUE TO PLUMMETING WATER LEVELS AT THE SARDAR SAROVAR DAM ON THE NARMADA RIVER