Gujarat plans a mammoth sweet water lake - Kalpsar

The Adani Group’s ambitious plans to develop Dholera port, at a point just 110 km away from Ahmedabad, have been dashed by the Gujarat government. Washed away with Dholera are Ahmedabad’s soaring ambitions to emerge as a port city. Instead, the government has finally decided to create a mammoth sweet water lake — Kalpsar — by damming the Gulf of Khambhat. Sources close to Chief Minister Narendra Modi say the government has dumped Dholera in favour of Kalpsar, as the two projects could not have co-existed. Dholera port promoters — Adanis and JK group — were told about the decision on Saturday. A top Modi aide said the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), which did a feasibility study for Kalpsar, submitted its report on Saturday, giving the project a green signal. Instead, the plan is to develop a greenfield all-weather port near Bhavnagar to serve the Dholera special investment region (SIR), a major industrial zone along the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). There was earlier scepticism about Kalpsar, given its high cost of around Rs 55,000 crore, but Modi was convinced about its feasibility after seeing a similar project in South Korea two years ago. The go-ahead to Kalpsar significantly alters development plans in the region. There are dredging problems in the sea off Bhavnagar and, if a port has to be built here, the jetty may have to be taken deep into the sea. “Till Bhavnagar port is built, Pipavav port will be used for Dholera SIR,” the Modi aide said. Interestingly, the government has decided to extend the six-lane trunk road for Dholera SIR up to Bhavnagar. The road, which will start at Sarkhej in Ahmedabad, will pass through Vataman, Pipli and Dholera. Govt to bear Rs 55K-cr Kalpsar cost. The size of the Kalpsar lake will be reduced as the eastern point will be shifted to north of Dahej in order to save Dahej port. Officials said as there will be no high tide after the dam is built, a huge 2.2 lakh-hectare area, equal to two big talukas, will be reclaimed once the project is complete. The area around the sweet water reservoir will witness a real estate boom and plans are being worked out to develop waterfront townships and tourism. “The government can fund the entire Kalpsar project cost of Rs 55,000 crore by selling reclaimed land,” a senior official said. Once the dam is built, a new canal from Narmada dam to the Gulf of Khambhat could fasten the water-sweetening process during the monsoon.