Ajwa Reservoir (Sayaji Sarovar)

Vadodara-Baroda By No Comments

Commissioned in 1885 by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the reservoir was mainly built to provide for a clean source for drinking water. Also known as the Sayaji Sarovar, the dam was built at the cost of about Rs. 34 lakh. The foundation ceremony of the dam was done by Lady Watson, the wife of the British Resident, Watson.

Ajwa Reservoir (Sayaji Sarovar)

The Problem and the Solution :

For years, the British officers were in search of a clean source of drinking water for the city. The clean water became an utmost necessity to deal with the outbreaks of cholera. The solution to this problem was finally provided by a local resident named, Sadashivjii Hate who also became the engineer of the project. Hate’s plans were approved by Sayajirao after which the construction began.

The Dam :

The dam is about 3.5 miles (~ 5.5 KMs) long and 15 feet wide with 62 gates built on the Surya rivulet and the Vaghali Nala at a distance of about 12.5 miles (~ 20 KMs) from Baroda. Completed in 1890, when full the reservoir of the dam is supposed to have a catchment area of something close to 195 square kilometers. The excess water in event of floods is dispatched to the Vishwamitri river of Baroda.

Although the population of Baroda at that time was 100,000 it was the ruler’s vision to build the reservoir 3 times larger. This reservoir has the ability to attend to the water requirements of about 300,000 people residing in the eastern parts of the city.

Sayaji Reservoir

The gates of Sayaji Sarovar are operated using drums in which water can be filled. As the drums become heavier, the gates start moving upwards and begin to close.

In 1892, a water supply system was setup based on the principle of gravity and required no pumping. This system supplied water directly to people’s home via taps. It is said that Baroda was only the third city in India to have water supplied to people’s home at that time. The residents of the city were so exalted because of this, that they started calling the reservoir as “Nalganga“. Later even a water filtration plant was setup at Nimeta.

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Adjacent to the dam are the famous Ajwa gardens also called as Vrindavan Garden, which are an adaptation of the famous Vrindavan gardens located in Mysore. The gardens are famous especially for its coloured fountains and a musical fountain. It is also an “all time favorite” place for picnicking of the residents of the city.

There has been proposals to move the animals of zoo in Baroda to this garden, to provide them a more healthy and pollution free environment to live in, since the zoo in Vadodara is located almost in the heart of the city.

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It doesn’t come as a surprise that the reservoir that was built three times larger than the required size because of the foresight of a ruler, almost a 135 years ago, still provides water to a major part of the city.

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