Gujarat is constructing its first two air-filled state-of-the-art rubber dams using South Korean technology across the Heran river at Rajvasana village in Chhota Udepur district and the Ambika river at Pathakwadi village in Tapi district. With a combined investment of more than Rs 161 crore, the project represents a new approach to improving water storage, irrigation, groundwater recharge, and flood management in water-stressed regions. The initiative also forms part of the State’s efforts to strengthen water conservation and irrigation infrastructure under the Centre’s ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign.
Catch The Rain campaign was launched by the Prime Minister on World Water Day (March 22, 2021) with the theme “Catch the Rain, where it falls, when it falls”. The campaign builds on the success of the Jal Shakti Abhiyan 2019, which was implemented in 1,592 water-stressed blocks across 256 districts and promoted rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, and watershed development through a Jan Andolan approach. Since then, the campaign has been implemented annually with evolving themes and focus areas.
Unlike conventional check dams or steel-gated structures, the rubber dam system uses an inflatable rubber bladder mounted on a concrete base. The bladder is inflated to retain water during dry periods and deflated whenever required to allow the river to flow naturally. This flexible design enables rapid discharge of floodwaters and silt to pass down the stream during heavy monsoon flows while maintaining water storage during the rest of the year. The system also incorporates Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)-based automation, allowing the rubber bladder to be inflated and deflated automatically through computer-controlled system without manual intervention.
Rajvasana Rubber Dam
The larger of the two projects is the Rajvasana Rubber Dam on the Heran river in Rajvasana village (Bodeli taluka) of Chhota Udepur district. Being constructed at a cost of Rs 82.97 crore, the project is about 75 per cent complete and is expected to be completed by September 2027 after a 30-month construction period. It is expected to provide irrigation support to 3,420 hectares of agricultural land, benefitting farmers across 25 villages.
The project features a 180-metre-long and 3.5-metre-high rubber bladder that will increase the storage capacity to 3.5 million cubic metres (MCM). The structure also includes a 900-metre flood protection wall on the left bank and a 500-metre wall on the right bank, along with a 10-year operation and maintenance plan to ensure long-term upkeep.
The Rajvasana area has long faced water scarcity because groundwater levels decline sharply after the monsoon. An older dam constructed during the princely era gradually became ineffective due to heavy silt accumulation and reduced storage capacity. The new rubber dam has therefore been designed to improve water conservation and management. The inflatable rubber bladder could be filled with air in about 30 minutes to retain water and lowered during periods of heavy rainfall to release excess flow safely downstream. This mechanism is expected to reduce flooding, minimise silt accumulation, improve groundwater recharge, and enhance the availability of irrigation and drinking water. The project would also help utilise water from the Heran river that previously flowed into the Narmada river system without being effectively used locally. The existing canal network would ensure irrigation water for both Kharif and Rabi crops, while canals under the Rajvansana Weir scheme are also planned to be connected to village ponds for surplus water.
Pathakwadi Rubber Dam
The second project is the Pathakwadi Rubber Dam scheme, constructed on the Ambika river in Pathakwadi village (Dolvan taluka) of Tapi district. Being developed at an estimated cost of Rs 79.13 crore, it is nearly 90 per cent complete and is expected to provide assured irrigation benefits to about 650 hectares of agricultural land in villages including Pathakwadi, Dhodiyawad, Unai, and Sindhai.
The project has been designed in accordance with Japanese engineering standards and uses an air-filled rubber bladder imported from South Korea. The rubber bladder, with a thickness ranging from 18 mm to 32 mm, is designed to withstand temperatures above 50 °C and has an estimated service life of around 30 years. The structure consists of a 2.5-metre-high rubber bladder mounted on a two-metre concrete base using J-bolts, giving the dam an overall height of 4.5 metres and a total length of 280 metres across four spans.
The Pathakwadi project was selected after surveys which found that the area’s flat terrain and low riverbanks made conventional high check dams or weir structures unsuitable. The design allows floodwaters and silt to pass naturally during the monsoon, thereby reducing flooding, soil erosion, and long-term silt buildup while preserving the water storage capacity. It is expected to store around 3.5 MCM of water, improve groundwater levels in nearby wells and borewells, support irrigation for kharif and summer crops, and strengthen drinking water availability in surrounding villages. The technology can also be used in future as a tidal regulator to help prevent seawater intrusion into freshwater sources.
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