Narmada Canal

Narmada Main Canal
Sardar Sarovar Canal
View of the Kutch Branch Canal of Narmada Main Canal paved with concrete lining, meandering through northwestern India.
Country	India
State	Gujarat, Rajasthan
River	Narmada
Source	Sardar Sarovar Dam
- location	Navagam, Gujarat, India
- coordinates	21°49′49″N 73°44′50″E / 21.83028°N 73.74722°E / 21.83028; 73.74722
Length	534 km (332 mi)
Width	0.0731 km (0 mi)
Depth	7.6 m (25 ft)
Volume	1,132.66 m3 (40,000 cu ft)
Aforementioned information retrieved from the Narmada Control Authority

The Narmada Canal is a contour canal in northwestern India that brings water from the Sardar Sarovar Dam north through 460 kilometres (290 mi) of the state of Gujarat and then 74 kilometres (46 mi) into Rajasthan state. It is the main canal of an irrigation system that has 42 branches, and runs a length of 750 kilometres (470 mi) (including field canals), resulting in a Culturable Command Area (CCA) of 2,129,000 hectares (5,260,000 acres).

Soon after the completion of the construction project, the Narmada canal was inaugurated on 24 April 2008. The Narmada main canal is largest, longest irrigation canal. It has carrying capacity of 40,000 cusecs at its head in Navagam and is decreased to 2,600 cusecs at Sanchore. On the way, Narmada main canal crosses many rivers and water bodies. It is called engineering marvel because canal water reaches on elevated areas and canal has many pumping stations and NMC is concrete lined.

Since Rajasthan is arid and isn't even a riparian state, considerations were made to irrigate its lands with the water from the Narmada River that flows through the neighboring state of Gujarat. After traversing 486 kilometres (302 mi) in Gujarat, the Narmada canal enters Rajasthan near Shilu in the Sanchor tehsil of Jalore. The 74 kilometres (46 mi) main canal, with 9 major distributaries, serves an area of 1,477 square kilometres (570 sq mi), including 124 villages. In total, it was designed to irrigate 246,000 hectares (610,000 acres) in 233 villages in Jalore and Barmer and provide drinking water to 1,336 villages.Saurastra Narmada Avataran Irrigation is a flagship program in this direction.

Prior to Narmada canal water, the Jalore and Barmer Districts of Rajasthan were irrigated mainly by wells that tapped into highly saline water, with 65% of the lands being barren and capable of growing only thorny trees.

The Narmada canal has a few unique features compared to other projects: