State clears Rs 26 crore for river linking surveys

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

The Maharashtra government has approved Rs 26 crore for surveys of two major river-linking projects aimed at tackling Marathwada's water crisis. The funds have been allocated to the National Water Development Agency (NWDA), which will study the feasibility and prepare cost estimates for the projects.

Marathwada, plagued by recurring droughts, receives only 56% of the water it needs. To address this, there has been a long-standing demand to divert surplus water from Konkan’s rivers. In 2019, the state government proposed four river linking projects—Nar-Par-Girna, Par-Godavari, Daman Ganga-Vaitarna-Godavari and Daman Ganga-Ekdare-Godavari. Despite years of appeals, action was delayed until recently.

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Big push for Daman Ganga projects

The government has now given the green light to two projects:

Daman Ganga-Ekdare-Godavari: Approved with a budget of Rs 2,213.53 crore, this project involves constructing a dam on the Daman Ganga River at Ekdare in Nashik district. Of the 100 TMC water to be made available, 15 TMC will be reserved for Nashik’s Peth taluka, while 85 TMC will flow to Marathwada.

Daman Ganga-Vaitarna-Godavari: Expected to provide 202 TMC of water, this project complements the first initiative.

Together, these two projects are estimated to cost Rs 13,497 crore. Surveys will soon determine their implementation, senior Water Resources Department officials confirmed.

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What About Krishna Basin Water?

Marathwada is still waiting for its promised share of Krishna River water. In 2004, then-Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh announced 25 TMC of water for the region. To date, only 7 TMCs have been supplied to parts of Dharashiv, Latur, and Beed districts. The remaining 18 TMCs remains undelivered, raising questions about the state’s commitment to solving Marathwada’s water woes.

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With the surveys underway, will these ambitious projects finally end Marathwada’s water scarcity? The region awaits answers.