Water expert: No special benefit to the state from the river connectivity project
Aurangabad, March 9:
Water experts are claiming that the project of connecting five rivers namely Mahanadi-Godavari, Godavari-Krishna, Krishna-Pennar, Par-Tapi-Narmada and Damanganga-Pinjal will not be of much benefit to the state. Also, some water from the Damanganga-Pinjal river connectivity project will be given to the Mumbai-Konkan belt. Efforts are needed to bring some of this water to Marathwada. But water experts alleged that the efforts are being made only on paper.
In all, 168 billion cubic feet (BCF) of water from Damanganga, Pinjal, Vaitarna, Ulhas sub-basin of Konkan is to be provided for the drought prone areas of Marathwada. But this water is currently being stored in Nashik belt. This water needs to reach Godavari basin. Out of total 9 sub-basins in Marathwada division, 7 sub-basins are deficient. The total deficit of Marathwada is 202 BCF of water including 34 BCF in Painganga and Yeldari dams. Out of this, the government has decided to divert 34 BCF of water from Vidarbha and 168 BCF from Konkan in 2019. But the Nashik division is storing this water in their own dam. According to the plans of Damanganga, Ekdare, Nar-Par, Damanganga-Kadwa projects, efforts are being made to divert 25 BCF of water from Konkan and store it in Waghad, Karanjavan and Kadwa dams in Nashik area. But it is necessary to release 168 BCF of water from the Konkan directly into the Godavari belt for Marathwada.
168 BCF of water should be diverted to Godavari
In 2015, the union government decided to set up a task force to launch 16 river connectivity projects. Five of these projects are for Maharashtra. In all, 283 BCF of water will be diverted from Mahanadi to Godavari and 530 BCF of water will be diverted from Godavari to Krishna river and further to Pennar-Kaveri river. This does not benefit the state at all. In addition, there is an attempt to store 168 BCF of water of Marathwada in Nashik division and Konkan belt. Irrigation of Marathwada will not increase without a river connectivity project, said water expert Shankar Nagre.