Nagpur: Giving a boost to the irrigation sector, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to build check dams along with bridges in the state. Hundred such structures will be built including 35 in Vidarbha. This will irrigate between 40,000 to 50,000 hectares. A pilot project has been launched in Buldhana district. NHAI contractors need earth for road works. They will take away the silt thus effective storage of water bodies will increase
Addressing the two-day groundwater conclave ‘Bhujal Manthan’ on Friday, Union water resources minister Nitin Gadkari said that NHAI would also desilt dams. “A pilot project has been launched in Buldhana district. NHAI contractors need earth for road works. They will take away the silt and the effective storage of the water bodies will increase,” he added.
The minister said that river-linking projects also would be taken up in the state. “Rainwater in Konkan goes into the sea. We will build five to six dams in the region and transport the water to parched Marathwada region. We will also link Narmada river with Tapi,” he further said.
Turning to the national scene, Gadkari said that water of Himalayan rivers was not being used fully. “We will build three dams in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. This will double the water in Yamuna river and provide water to Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan. We will also build Pancheshwar project on Indo-Nepal border. It will bring more water into Yamuna and also generate 6,000 MW electricity,” he added.
“India is not using its full share of water of rivers that flow into Pakistan. We will, therefore, build dams in Kashmir on these rivers,” the minister said.
Batting for river-linking, Gadkari said that Godavari water was being transported to Krishna river through the Rs10,000 crore Polavaram dam and canal project. “We will also do river-linking in Tamil Nadu,” he said.
“Indravati river in Gadchiroli district has lot of water but it is not possible to build a dam on it because of dense forest. We will transport the water to Tamil Nadu. I have sought no objection certificate from governments of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh for this purpose,” Gadkari said.
On the present initiatives of the central government, the minister said that there were several projects which were incomplete in spite of the spending hundreds of crores of rupees. “We have decided to provide funds for completing projects on which more than 50% work is over. 99 projects have been included for funding and out of that 28 are in Maharashtra. Also, 350 more projects are in the pipeline,” he added.
The minister urged farmers to go in for testing of groundwater. “I had started dairy business in Dhapewada but it failed because water was not suitable for cattle,” he said.
Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union minister of state for water resources, UC Singh, principal secretary (water resources), government of India, state minister for water resources Girish Mahajan and KC Naik, chairman of Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) also expressed their views in the convention.
