IN PHOTOS: Modi hails overflowing Narmada dam

Overflowing of Narmada dam in Gujarat has not only raised hopes of its people reeling under deficient monsoon conditions but also become a fantastic visual treat for visitors.

The dam is overflowing tonight at 128.63 meters, six meters above its height of 121.90 meters due to heavy rains in neighbouring Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, officials said.

The elation over the excess flow came from none other than Chief Minister Narendra Modi himself who took to blogging to welcome the news.

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"Narmada is lifeline of Gujarat and is held sacrosanct by its people. On the night of 7-8th August 2012 it added waves of joy in our hearts when the Narmada dam began to overflow," Modi wrote on his blog.

"This momentous occasion brings a major relief to the areas that are served by the Narmada Canal," he wrote.

The overflowing happened at a time when the state government has declared 14 districts 'scarcity hit' in wake of deficient rains.

According to officials, around 8,89,382 cusecs of water is being discharged from the dam, of which 8,22,439 cusecs fall directly into sea while remaining 66,943 cusecs flow to six turbines for power generation.

Out of total 74,626 kms proposed canal network of Narmada dam, only 19,885 km of work is completed so far by the state government.

Narmada being a perennial river, harnessing of its water by building a huge dam and distributing it to through canal network for drinking and irrigation purposes is a lifeline project of the state where water scarcity due to deficient rains is a norm.

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