Deficient rainfall, Narmada and Old Bridge of Tilwaraghat
Three days back we went for an excursion to Narmada river at Tilwaraghat which is near Jabalpur. The image above is of the old bridge at Tilwaraghat taken from the new bridge.
Usually at this time of the year – when the monsoons have blown their main course – the old bridge would normally be below the river. The Narmada river would swell and come up causing flood in the region. Tilwaraghat is on the upper-mid stream of the river in Madhya Pradesh.
However, this year there has been deficient rainfall, which is clearly reflected from this picture.
The interesting thing is that it is on this Narmada river that the largest dam of India is built – the Sardar Sarovar Project. And this project is only one of the many other projects on this river – whether they are for the purpose of hydro-electricity generation or irrigation.
Another interesting thing is that many water schemes are based on this rainfed river of middle India. More so, the Narmada river is also used to feed the Sabarmati river in Gujarat which is nearly at the downstream of the river.
The Narmada river has also generated much politics including displacement and activism in India in recent times.
However, the fact remains – what if the rain gods fail it?
In the past days, there has been heavy rains for more than 48 hours continuously – and that seems to have filled all the deficiency. Its like that this rain has created floods and filled the dams to brim! So monsoon or returning-monsoon – the rain gods are still blessing India – at least for now!