South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers, and People (SANDRP), a leading advocacy group, has accused the Sardar Sarovar dam operators of acting once more in an “unaccountable” way and causing “avoidable floods in downstream Gujarat.”
According to a thorough analysis by SANDRP, the upstream and downstream areas of the dam “could have been significantly lower and much less disastrous” if the authorities had acted on timely basis of actionable information available.
On September 17, 2023, the water level at the Golden Bridge in Bharuch approached the highest flood level, but the authorities did not release water as they were busy celebrating the birthday of PM Modi.
The dam authorities avoided a gradual and sustained release of water from the dam until the morning of September 17 in order to carry out the ceremony held at the dam site by the Gujarat Chief Minister to wish Prime Minister Narendra Modi a happy birthday, according to SANDRP in a statement.
Late, lethargic and unaccountable actions of Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) Dam operators have once again contributed to huge and largely avoidable downstream floods in Gujarat.