The floodgate of the 315.5 RL (Reduced Level) metre-high Bisalpur dam — the primary source of drinking water for Jaipur, Ajmer, and Tonk districts — was opened on Thursday morning after the water level rose to the brim.
The local Uniara-Deoli MLA, Rajendra Gurjar, and Tonk District Collector Kalpana Agrawal performed a ceremonial puja of the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system before activating the control to open the floodgate.
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One of the 18 floodgates (No. 10) was opened to a height of one metre at 05:00 pm on Thursday. Initially, 6000 cusecs of water were released into the downstream Banas River to maintain the maximum permissible water level at 315.5 RL metres.
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Before the opening of the gate, residents of the 54 villages along the banks of the downstream Banas River had been repeatedly alerted over the past 2-3 days about a possible flood situation.
However, authorities managed the situation well.
Contrary to concerns, many people, particularly farmers, were pleased, anticipating ample water availability for irrigating their fields.
Moreover, the early accumulation of water up to the brim in the reservoir has ensured an adequate supply of drinking water for the three districts of Jaipur, Ajmer and Tonk to meet demand for up to two summer seasons.
The floodgate of the dam has been opened for the eighth time year since its commissioning in 2000. Earlier, the gates were opened in 2004, 2006, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2024. This is the first time that the floodgate has been opened during the early monsoon season, as early as July.
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