The Saurashtra region is a cluster of 11 districts in Gujarat. These districts are often drought-affected due to low rainfall and hence face severe water scarcity. The people in these regions mainly depend on rain for their water needs. The Saurashtra Narmada Avataran Irrigation or Sauni Yojana project was implemented to meet the water needs of the people in Saurashtra in Gujarat. The project was designed and executed to utilize the Narmada flood water for drinking and irrigation purposes.
The project is dependent mainly on the River Narmada. What sets this project apart is supplying water directly to households through a piped system, rather than relying on canals. This approach avoids challenges often encountered with land acquisition. MEIL has laid a pipeline network of 1,125 km for this project.
River Narmada floodwater is diverted to dams such as Kadana and Panam. Water from Rivers like Mahi and Sabarmati can also be diverted to the project. With this project, 115 dams in the Saurashtra region, and about ten dams and reservoirs in Rajkot, Jamnagar, and Morbi districts are filled with River Narmada water for cultivation and drinking purposes. The project is providing drinking water to 731 villages and 31 towns.
Sauni Yojana Phase 2 was constructed at Piperthoda village in Jamnagar district of Gujarat, harnessing the resources of River Narmada. The company built the project to quench the thirst of the rural and urban areas of the Saurashtra region. Dams like Ankandia, Goma, and Chibdha are getting water from the project. Water is being supplied to ponds like Dhev Dhari, Shanalaa, Vanala, Tharnether, Tiker, Dhuwai, Sarva, and Sarsana.
Thus the construction of dams such as Aji-I, Machhu-I, Nyari-I, Veri, Machhu-III, Khodapipar, and Nayka has provided huge relief to several villages, by not only quenching their thirst but also providing a reliable source of water to people of Rajkot, Jamnagar, Gondal and Dhrol. Five pumps, seven motors, and a 66 / 6.6 kV substation were set up as part of the project. The Sauni Yojana pipeline network was established with 2,761 million cubic feet pumping capacity to fill about 400 check dams, 67 ponds, and ten dams.