Proposal to construct a dike between Surat and Taloja across Gulf of Cambay.

Construction of a dike at a suitable location between Surat and Taloja across Gulf of Cambay is worth to be considered by State and Central Government.  Implementation of the project can convert the gulf into a very big sweet water reservoir by pushing out the sea water with sweet water discharge from Narmada and Tapti rivers.   

Refer a study on tidal energy projects. http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/sustainable/refs/WaveTidal.pdf

Drinking water and Irrigation. With distributor canals, vast area of Gujarat can be irrigated. 

Use Wind mills. Water screw Wind mills serially placed can be used to lift water to high level canals to provide required head to enable water flow to highlands.

Quicker means of transport: Roads and rails over the dike will drastically reduce the distance between North Western and Southern parts of Gujarat and to Mumbai and Maharashtra region.

Employment generation: In addition to the usefulness of the project, such project has huge employment potential during the project and scope for relocating unemployed persons like workers in jewel industries.

I understand that the Gulf of Cambay is a shallow area and construction of dike is shall be possible. I suggested this to the authorities in 1982 after seeing the Dike in Netherlands.  There was lot of hue and cry about dams across Narmada. I don't know whether any research happened in this direction.

I had also also proposed another idea how we can produce electricity using the energy from sea water tides. I will post it as a separate topic later.

Opinions and suggestions of members who have knowledge about the Gulf of Cambay area, and behavior of Narmada and Tapti rivers and other issues are welcome.

Please forward to friends who have contacts with the planning authorities.  Gujarat / Indian Government can take advice help of Netherlands to study the feasibility of the project and do some survey and research about the possibility of such projects in the river mouths in West Bengal and other parts of the country.  The political turmoil getting subsided, hope they will have some time to look into these areas.