Simhasth Kumbh Mela began in Ujjain on Friday.
Twenty lakh devotees took the holy dip in the Kshipra river as the Simhastha Kumbh Mela began in Ujjain on Friday, the Madhya Pradesh government has claimed.
At the time of drought, with temperature soaring to 40 degree Celsius in Ujjain, the visitors are concerned about the shortage of water.
However, the state government is confident that there will be no crisis and the Kshipra Narmada river link project will come to its rescue. The government has doubled the spread of Sinhastha Kumbh Mela to 3,000 hectares area.
Transport minister and in charge of Sinhastha Kumbh Mela, Bhupendra Singh told NDTV, "This link project will not only help us host Sinhastha but also help agriculture and economy. We now have the capacity to supply water 24X7 to the Kumbh Mela."
The Kshipra Narmada river link project was completed in 2014 after 14 months at a cost of Rs 650 crores. The water from the Narmada reservoir at Omkareshwar is being lifted with the help of four water pumps to a height of nearly 350 metres to Ujjaini, where the rivers have been linked.
Ganpat Singh Chauhan, a resident Goyla Khurd village said," Earlier we could only grow wheat but now we grow other crops also. Drinking water problem has been solved...even borewells that had dried up have revived".
However, despite government assurances, some groups have claimed to be facing water shortage due to what they call "mismanagement".
"We are facing water shortage. We even called up the water department officials who are not of much help. They provide water only for an hour," said Digambar Akhara's Vaishnodas Shastri.