Khodiyar Lake will not be filled; 80 door weights were stolen Khodiyar Lake will not be filled; 80 door weights were stolen

Jayesh Makwana

All over Gujarat, including Bhavnagar, at the beginning of the monsoon, the river, canals and ponds of Meghraja Mehrta have got a good income of water. But the Bhavnagar Corporation managed Khodiyar lake is not allowed to be fully filled with water, earlier the gates of the lake are often broken by unknown persons while now around 80 iron counters (Vajnia) of the automatic gates have been broken and stolen. It is worth mentioning that despite this much rainfall in the monsoon, there has been no overflow despite the lowest capacity of water storage in the last 10 years.

Khodiyar lake is very small in terms of capacity. Shetrunji Dam has a water capacity of 10,591 mcft, Bor Lake 675 mcft while Khodiyar Lake has a water capacity of 230 mcft. The water of which is used in industries area and Nari filter. But for the last several years, the gates of the Khodiyar lake have been opened to let the water out before it overflows. And often the doors are broken if not open.

The overflow level of the Khodiyar lake is 30 feet 6 inches. After 30 feet, the gates of the automatic Khodiyar lake are opened by the Maharaja of Bhavnagar. But when it reaches 25 to 27 feet, the gates are opened in an ancan style and the water flows. So, the Khodiyar lake has not been fully filled for the last ten years. This time, going one step further, 80 of the iron counters installed in the 45 gates of the lake have been broken and stolen so that the Khodiyar lake does not overflow.

The gates are opened and closed during overflow only by the iron counter. Against such a serious situation, the corporation has kept two to three doors open and all the other doors have been welded. So that these gates do not open under any circumstances and the water also runs from the top during overflow.

Do not allow water to reach the overflow, damaging the door
The nearby villagers do not allow the water to reach 30 feet in the Khodiyar lake. It first causes damage in the gates of the lake. Doors are broken and counters are also stolen. So the gates have been welded and closed by the corporation. – C.C. Devmurari, CT Engineer M.Corp.

Q When did the lake-dams overflow?
Among the lakes supplying water to Bhavnagar urban area, after 2013 Bortalav overflowed in 2019, 2020, 2021 and Shetrunji dam in 2013, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 while Khodiyar lake did not overflow once after 2013. .

Fear of damage to low-lying villages, submission to Minister
Regarding the fact that the gates of the Khodiyar lake have been removed and welding has been closed, the state minister Parshottambhai Solanki has also submitted a presentation to the UP Minister, if there is more rain in the upper reaches and the lake is filled, who will be responsible if there is loss of life and property in the low-lying villages? Such a question has been raised.

There has also been a police complaint about theft of water from the lake
In the year 2013, even in the year 2013, a police complaint was filed in the form of an application that the water was stolen, when the gates were often broken and water was diverted. While at present the theft of iron counters has also been reported to the police by the CT engineer.