11-Km Canal Will Be Built To Carry Waters Through Wild Ass Sanctuary. Gandhinagar: Kutch will finally get Narmada waters with the Supreme Court clearing the construction of the 11-km-long Kutch Branch Canal (KBC). However, the wild asses, known to be shy and gentle animals used to the huge flat expanse of their sanctuary in the Little Rann of Kutch, will now have to cross these water channels. Issued on April 17, the SC order sanctions the use of 159.05 hectares (ha) of sanctuary land for constructing the canal with protective structures for the free movement of wild ass. The KBC's total length beyond the sanctuary is 358 km. "As many as 21 different structures along the canal passing through the sanctuary will be built so that wild asses move around freely in its last homeland. The structures will inchide bridges over the canal, box culverts to allow drainage of natural Rann water between the two sides of the canal and canal siphons allowing Rann surface remaining intact. Eight feet high fences on two sides of the canal will be built so that the animal does not fall into the canal, all of which will cost an additional Rs 270 crore," a senior official said. "With the order, the main hurdle for taking Narmada waters into Kutch is gone." While approving the sanctuary land under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, the apex court laid down strict conditions to ensure there was no man-animal conflict. The structures will be built along the "natural corridors" of the beast and ensure ecological integration of the two sides of the canal. The structures were allowed following clearance by the SC-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC), which examined state and national wildlife board recommendations on it," a senior official said. "All precaution will be taken to see the asses don't drown," said principal chief conservator of forest Pradeep Khanna. A CEC team under its head PV Jai Krishna carried out its final on-site inspection a few months back to submit its final report. The order states, "a monitoring committee will be set up headed by the chief wildlife warden, Gujarat forest department, with one representative each from the ministry of environment and forest, Gujarat's principal secretary (forest), and one NGO to be nominated by Gujarat government as its members, for implementation of these structures."