Modi’s flagship water barrier in Gujarat is failing to protect water bodies and its use could increase the risk of pollution, according to a report in the Indian Express.
The report, titled Modi’s Water Barrier: Failed and Ineffective, says the government’s water project has not yet been able to prevent pollution from rivers and other bodies of water.
The Indian Express said the project has been plagued by problems, and has been “struggling to meet all its promises”.
In June this year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government signed a deal with the Gujarat Municipal Corporation (GMC) to install a water barrier on 1,500-acre land in the state’s Ganges valley.
In the years since, a series of protests and court cases have forced the Modi government to rethink its water project.
The Times of Indian article said the Gujarat government was planning to use up to 3 million litres of water a day in order to meet the water barrier’s daily use.
The water barrier, which will stretch 2,500 metres, has been blamed for disrupting the flow of water to the Ganges, destroying the ecosystem and making it more difficult for the animals to use the river for breeding.
The article said Modi’s government is yet to come up with a solution for the water’s failure.
“Modi’s water plan is yet another example of a government trying to please the people by promising to protect the river and its biodiversity while ignoring the reality,” said the article.
“This is a government that does not want to be accountable to its people, but rather to its powerful business partners and to the media,” it added.AAP/Sapa