User:Mohit P Parekh/sandbox

COMPARISON IN HISTORY AND CURRENT WATER SYSTEM: CURRENT Earlier the water system in Gujarat was known to be in the pure form and was even being provided to many water needy places like kutch, saurastra and even north Gujarat. The narmada project’s drinking water was state wide and was even considered to be a master plan as it was aimed in covering up 9490 villages and 173 towns in Gujarat, it was being executed by Gujarat water supply and sewage board shortly known as GWSSB. The Gujarat state government even decided in taking up the responsibility of reform of the water sector in the mission mode approach. In this approach the committees are being formed as pani samitis. It is being made village wise to take care and maintain the infrastructure at the village and even to create an intra-village water supply distribution channel. This was because the nigam supply of water to Gujarat water supply ended up in march 2017 for 8203 villages and 159 towns that is a huge cause to worry about. It directly gave water to 22 industrious cities including vadodara, ahmedabad, bharuch, kapadvanj, etc.

HISTORY: Ahmedabad city is situated at north Gujarat plains. In this semi arid landscape the water preservation and settlement is deeply influenced. From the smallest village to the largest cities in the state the conservation of the water is being done here. In ahmedabad the availability of water is being done by rain water harvesting and even by step wells and by the ancient irrigation system. In ancient ahmedabad people used to store water by storing rain water and using it later on for the purpose as per their own needs and wish. The Queen udayamati made rani ki vav constructed for her people in 11th century. It was even very helpful for water in the state. it even useful for people of dry cities of Gujarat like kutch, etc.

[1][2][3][4]

"Water Supply Policy | Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited". www.sardarsarovardam.org. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
"ancient conservation of water".
"stepwells".
"sutra journal".

The Lost Art of Water Architecture

The art of water architecture was famous art in the ancient India. Dhank one of the oldest examples of rock-cut stepwell architecture dated back to 200 A.D. to 400 A.D. The famous city of Indus valley civilization Mohenjo- daro was famous for its bricks well architecture and 700 such wells were found there. The western part of India like Gujarat and Rajasthan was famous for its art of step wells architecture one of the reason of this can be that this was a dry area and so that to cope up with the water availability in especially summer season this step wells were made.

In the ancient or Puranic times the act of constructing a water body or donating wealth for the same was considered as Punya ( a good deed). In Hindu Mythology severe importance has been given to these water bodies. Now talking about the water architecture in Gujarat one of the famous step well is Adalaj step well built in 1499 A.D. by the widow of Rajput king Veer Singh Vaghela of Vaghela dynasty, Rani Rudabai with the help of Muslim ruler Mahmud Begada . The stepwell's length is as deep as 75.3 meters. The fusion of Hindu craftsmanship and floral, geometric patterns of Islamic architecture looks mesmerizing whereas the carvings of birds, flowers, elephants and god and goddesses are done with absolute perfectness and beauty. Each wall has a power of divinity in its sculptures each panel makes you think that really is this a work of human hands or some divine power?

Now talking about the another beatific and glorious stepwell architecture Rani ki Vav built by Rani Udaymati wife of King Bhimdev of Solanki Dynasty in 1063 A.D. This 64 meter long, 20 meter wide and 27 meter deep stepwell has a glimpse of classical Hindu architecture. ornamented sculptures are in plenty and the sculptures of Hindu gods and goddess are absolute delight to watch. The carved entrance looks like a work straight from heaven with an exotic touch to the balconies of the stepwell.

Ancient Water Repositories of Ahmedabad

Adalaj Step-well

The Adalaj step well or 'Vav', as it is called in Gujarati, is intricately carved and is five stories deep. It is also known as Rudabai Step well is a step well located in the village of Adalaj, close to Ahmedabad city and in Gandhinagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was built in 1498. Its construction was started by Rana Veer Singh of the Vaghela dynasty of Dandai Desh. But he was killed in a war, where after the Muslim king Mahmud Begada of a neighboring state built it in Indo-Islamic architectural style, in 1499.

Adalaj Step Well view from the bottom.

Dada Hari Vav

Built during the reign of Mehmud Begda in the year 1501, Dada Hari Vav is an elaborately designed stepped well. The well lies just behind the tomb of Dada Hari. It is an octagonal shaped well, which is located below the ground level. This underground well has been intricately carved in the typical Gujarati designs.

Kankaria Lake

Kankaria Lake was built by Sultan Qutbuddin in the 15th century. The work was completed in 1451 CE and was known as "Qutb Hauz" or "Hauz-i-Qutb". It was used for bathing by the kings. It had a water purification system but it has been lost with the time. At one point of the circular lake, there opens a walkway which later merges into a garden called Nagina Wadi (which means beautiful garden in Urdu) that is located in the center of the lake. With an approximate circumference of 3 miles (4.8 km), it represents the regale history of Ahmedabad. It is a 34-sided polygon having steps which leading down to water level.

Sabarmati River

The origin legend is that Shiva brought the goddess Ganga to Gujarat and that caused the Sabarmati to come into being. The ancient name of Sabarmati river is Bhogwa. The legend is that Sultan Ahmed Shah of Gujarat, resting on the bank of Sabarmati, was inspired by the courage of a rabbit chasing a dog to the extent of establishing Ahmedabad in 1411. The soils of the Sabarmati area on the banks of the river are rich.

Current Water Repositories of Ahmedabad

Kotarpur WTP

Kotarpur WTP(Water Treatment Plant) is one of the water sources in Ahmedbabad that fulfills the water demand across various areas of Ahmedabad City. Plant is located near the airport of the city. The plant started functioning on April 5^th , 2000. The plant has capacity of treating 650 MLD (Million Liters per Day) water. This capacity is 80% of the total demand of Ahmedabad city which is 1100 MLD. Plant gets water supply from Narmada Canal which is assisted by two intake wells.  The plant contains 10 pump which pumps 4.1 million of water per hour. On increasing demand of water, the capacity of Kotarpur WTP was increased by 200 MLD which costed around 62 crore rupees.

Sabarmati River

Sabarmati River has been one of the oldest water sources of Ahmedabad since the city was founded on the banks of river.  Sabarmati River originates in Rajasthan, flows over Gujarat and meets in Gulf of Khambhat. rirver has length of 371 kms. The main project of Sabarmati River is Dharoi dam.  Dharoi dam has catchment area of 5475 sq.km and located at 80 km. from origin. Vasna barrage which has catchment area of 10619 sq.km is located on Sabarmati River which holds water to supply to Ahmedabad City and controls the flood. Because of Vasna barrage, Sabarmati River has capacity of supplying 70 MLD of water.

Narmada Main Canal

Narmada Main Canal is the biggest lined irrigation canal in the world which stretches upto 458 km. The far end of canal reaches till Gujarat-Rajasthan border. Main canal has capacity to flow 4000 cusecs. After Sabarmati River dried up, water of Narmada Main Canal has been diverted to Sabarmati river. As a result, 12154 acre-feet of water has been diverted to Sabarmati river. Thus, the height of water in French wells and bore wells has been increased.

Current Conditions of Water Sources

Current conditions of water are very dreadful as day by day global worming and pollution is increasing due to which the amount of water in the resources are reducing quickly and not generating at the same speed. Here are some of the sources of water Repositories of Ahmedabad.  

Sabarmati River drying during summer

Sabarmati River

Sabarmati waterway basin has an aggregate seepage zone of 21,674 sq. km of which 18550 sq. km. The most extreme length of the basin is 300 km and greatest width is 105 km.

The government is additionally confronting criticism for poor water resources administration considering that the state is relying on the Narmada for irrigation needs and about 70% of its drinking water.

Sabarmati is among one of the Gujarat's 20 most contaminated rivers.

Kankaria Lake

Kankaria Lake is first reservoir Ahmedabad city which was built by Sultan Qutubuddin in the 15th century. It has now been transformed into a recreational center, moving far from its unique motivation behind saving water for requirements of local people.

Kankaria Lake before 10 years

Faculty of Management of Cept University conducted study into the advancement procedure of the lake in both the historic and modern day settings, and finds misinformed strategies for refilling the lake's water at the base of groundwater exhaustion in Maninagar."AMC in1995 had chosen to utilize the water of Narmada in Kankaria" was stated by Dean of Management.

In any case, AMC began violating its own objectives by beginning to remove groundwater from tube-wells rather than utilizing recycled or rainwater.

The groundwater level was exhausting by 2.5 meter each year, when estimated five years ago and the circumstance hasn't improved.

Vastrapur Lake

There was a big slum where Vastrapur Lake flows now, with about 400 families staying, almost making the lake invisible.

Vastrapur Lake in 2016

In 2002, Auda(Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority) decided to remove the slum and develop the lake with a garden around it. The slum dwellers were given firm houses nearby.

Vastrapur lake use to supply water into early 90’s but today due to global warming the water in the lake started to dry slowly and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation(AMC) was also not supplying regular flow of water to Vastrapur Lake.

In 2016 the lake had almost dried and the surface of the lake was seen clearly, also the dead fishes were removed from it.