Kalpasar Project
Why in News?
The Kalpasar Project is in the news because the Central Government informed the Rajya Sabha that its Detailed Project Report (DPR) is at an advanced stage of finalisation, bolstered by an active Indo-Dutch technical partnership to apply global coastal engineering expertise.
Key Information
- The Name: "Kalpasar" is derived from Kalp (fulfilling future needs) and Sarovar (lake/reservoir).
- Alternative Name: It is officially known as the Gulf of Khambhat Development Project.
- Location: Located across the Gulf of Khambhat in Gujarat, connecting its eastern and western banks.
Key Features & Engineering
- The Sea Dam: Envisages building a massive 60.13 km long dyke/dam directly inside the sea.
- Freshwater Reservoir: It will block seawater ingress to create a 2,000 sq. km freshwater lake, making it one of the largest coastal reservoirs globally.
- Storage Capacity: Designed to hold 7,807 million cubic metres (MCM) of water, larger than major existing domestic dams.
- River Feeding: The reservoir will trap freshwater from major rivers including the Sabarmati, Mahi, Dhadhar, and Narmada.
Expected Benefits & Impact
- Mitigating Scarcity: Designed to supply drinking water and irrigate 10 lakh hectares of land across 9 drought-prone districts of the Saurashtra region.
- Mega Transport Corridor: A 130-metre-wide corridor on top of the dam will accommodate a 16-lane roadway and a 4-lane railway.
- Travel Reduction: It will cut the transport distance between Bhavnagar and Surat by 179 km (halving the journey from 356 km to 177 km).
- Clean Energy: Reclaimed land will host a 2,470 MW hybrid wind-solar renewable energy park.
- Ecological Gain: It prevents groundwater salinity ingress, recharges local aquifers, and expands freshwater fisheries.
