It’s not far when the drought-hit Marathwada will turn Sujalam Sufalam. The belief is getting stronger. Given the current water situation in Marathwada, its people need to hold this belief, which will give them strength to overcome the water distress. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has given this strength to the people of Marathwada through the Marathwada Water Grid Project. The Marathwada Water Grid Project is a wonderful journey into the prosperous future of Marathwada. You must have seen many times the promises made by leaders in politics for votes. But there are also some leaders who put all their energy into fulfilling their promises. Devendra Fadnavis is one of them because he decided what kind of politics he wanted to pursue before stepping into politics. In 2011, Devendra Fadnavis introduced the Maharashtra Public Service Guarantee Act, 2011, in the Assembly through a private member’s bill. The purpose of this bill was to establish the right of citizens to receive government services within a given time frame, and if they do not receive those services in that time, the concerned officers should be punished. In 2014, Fadnavis became the chief minister of the state. The Maharashtra Public Service Guarantee Act was passed in the first meeting of the state cabinet. This is called political will. On the strength of this, Fadnavis ensured water supply to the villagers of Nilwande by completing the more than 53-year-old project of Nilwande Dam. On the other hand, the Lakshmanraoji Inamdar Upsa Irrigation Scheme (Jihe-Kathapur) provided water to the thirsty people of Man-Khatav for years.
The Marathwada Water Grid Project is also based on a similar will. There is so much strength in this project that Marathwada will not remain drought-affected in the future; it will be a history for the coming generations. Fadnavis is confident that in the future we will get to see Sujalam, Sufalam Marathwada and he is also moving in that direction. Meanwhile, the proposal to prepare a detailed project report to bring 55 TMC of water from the western channels Vaitarna and Ulhas to the Godavari basin was given administrative approval in the cabinet meeting of September 5, 2024. A committee was formed for this project in September 2019 under the guidance of the then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Devendra ji had dreamt that the next generation of Marathwada should not have to face drought. The Marathwada water grid was planned between 2014 and 2019. Under the guidance of the present Chief Minister, work is being done at a fast pace towards the fulfillment of this dream. The Cabinet decided to sanction Rs. 61.52 crore for the DPR of the project. This project will provide irrigation and drinking water to Marathwada.
Marathwada Water Grid Project
Why the Marathwada Water Grid Project is needed
Maharashtra had received deficient rainfall in 2016. In Marathwada, the situation was worse. About 4,000 tankers were required daily to supply water to the districts. Water was sent to Latur city by train from Miraj. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the Marathwada Water Grid Water Supply Scheme to permanently solve the drinking water problem in Marathwada. The main objective behind this announcement was to solve the drinking water problem in this region permanently. For this, it was decided that even if there is less rainfall in this area, drinking water should be available here permanently. Kolhapur and Sangli districts in western Maharashtra have been hit by floods. On the one hand, there is drought and on the other, there is flood. To overcome this, the Marathwada Water Grid Scheme came forward.
The Inspiration Behind the Water Grid Project
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, had taken the water of the Narmada river to the desert of Kutch to quench the thirst of the people. Drinking water was a major problem in Saurashtra, Kutch and other drought-prone belts of Gujarat. Many villages and towns there had to spend a lot of money to provide drinking water through tankers for years. As a permanent solution, Narendra Modi focused on completing the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River to take the water from Narmada to the drought-prone belt of North Gujarat, Kutch, and Saurashtra. Following the same model, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the implementation of the Marathwada Water Grid Project. Due to floods in Sangli and Kolhapur, 167 TMC of water is flowing into the sea every year. Some of the water will be taken to the Godavari basin in Marathwada and made available to the people of the region. Along with Maharashtra, the Telangana government too had sent a delegation to understand this project based on the model of Gujarat.
What is the Marathwada Water Grid Scheme?
Under the Marathwada Water Grid Scheme, 11 dams in Marathwada will be connected to each other through a loop system. For this, a 1330 km long pipeline will be laid. These dams are Jayakwadi (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), Yeldari (Parbhani), Siddheshwar (Hingoli), Majalgaon (Beed), Manjra (Beed), Upper Penganga (Yavatmal), Lower Terna (Dharashiv), Lower Maniyar (Nanded), Vishnupuri (Nanded), Lower Dudhana (Parbhani) and Seena Kollegaon (Dharashiv). If all these dams in Marathwada are connected to each other, then there will be a facility to supply water to those dams where there is no water. Once the water reaches nearby villages, it will be released into the river. The project will cost Rs 30,000 crore. Under this scheme, drinking water will be provided to the households in all 8 districts in this region.
A study committee was set up by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on December 6, 2016, under the chairmanship of the then Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Ram Shinde. The committee submitted its report to the government in October 2019, highlighting the requirement of an estimated 17.92 TMC of water to meet the needs of Marathwada. Accordingly, the Marathwada Water Grid Scheme was prepared. Under this scheme, the tributaries of Ambika, Auranga, Nar-Par, Damanganga-Vaitarna, Vaitarna, and Ulhas Damanganga in Konkan will be important for diverting water to Marathwada. About 175 TMC of water will be available.
Special Cabinet meeting
The Fadnavis government had called a special cabinet meeting for Marathwada on October 4, 2016, to resolve various pending issues in the region. In the meeting, various schemes related to irrigation in Marathwada were approved and funds were also sanctioned. Of this, Rs 4800 crore was sanctioned for Krishna Marathwada Project Phase 1. The scheme is expected to benefit an area of 33,945 hectares in 288 villages of Marathwada. Subsequently, Rs 819 crore has been sanctioned for the Lower Dudhna Project, which is expected to benefit 34,438 hectares of area in Jalna and Parbhani districts. The Nandur-Madhmeshwar project, approved for a cost of Rs 894 crore, will benefit 45,576 hectares in Aurangabad, Nashik and Nagar districts. Rs.1730 crore was sanctioned for Upper Panganga and Kundalika. Other irrigation projects worth Rs 1048 crore for this region were also approved. All this data reveals the Fadnavis government’s sincere efforts to alleviate the drought situation in Marathwada.
Agreement with Israel’s Mekorot Company
On January 18, 2018, Fadnavis signed an agreement with Israel’s Mekorot Development and Enterprises to conduct a comprehensive study of the Marathwada Water Grid Project to end drought in Marathwada. Israel receives much less rainfall than Maharashtra. Despite very low rainfall, Israel overcame the drought situation by properly planning the water supply.
Using this experience, the Fadnavis government tried to make the concept of the Marathwada Water Grid a reality. Subsequently, a High Powered Committee under the Chairmanship of the Chief Secretary was constituted on 27.03.2018 to review the scope of work, modifications and other important points to approve the project.
Mahavikas Aghadi government suspended
After the 2019 assembly elections, Uddhav Thackeray formed the Mahavikas Aghadi government in an alliance with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party with the monstrous ambition of becoming the Chief Minister. In no time all the ambitious schemes of the Fadnavis government including the Jalyukt Shivar Yojana and Marathwada Wate Grid Project, etc., which were meant to provide relief to the people of Marathwada, were either suspended, shelved, or deprioritized by the MVA government, extinguishing the hope and expectations of the people in this region. For example, while Rs.1000 crore was sanctioned for a tourism center in Worli in the 2020 budget of the MVA government, the Marathwada Water Grid project received a provision of 200 crore only. With this attitude, the Mahavikas Aghadi government did injustice to the common citizens of Marathwada.
Provision of Rs 20000 crore for Maharathwada water projects
The BJP-Shiv Sena made a new alliance to form the government in Maharashtra again in early 2022. This government revived all the old and important schemes that were suspended by the previous government. Implementation of all the decisions taken in the cabinet meeting of October 4, 2016, including the drought eradication programs in Marathwada. Discussions were held with the World Bank for the Marathwada Water Grid Project. At present, the project is being implemented in a phased manner and the government is committed to adequate funds for it. In 2023, the then Deputy CM and Finance Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a provision of Rs 20,000 crore to permanently solve the water problem in Marathwada. . This included the Marathwada water grid project along with the river linking project. The proposal has been sent to the central government for approval.