Bhopal, May 10 In another initiative towards an inter-state river project, the governments of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra inked a pact for the ‘Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project’, which stands as the world’s largest groundwater recharge initiative.
It aimed at ensuring sustainable water management for both the states of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav signed a pact in Bhopal on Saturday.
Calling the collaboration historic, Chief Minister Fadnavis praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his efforts in bringing the project out of the drawing board. “This agreement, worth about Rs 19,244 crore, will benefit the salt pan belt of Vidarbha and North Maharashtra,” he added.
Fadnavis highlighted the immense benefits it would provide, with Madhya Pradesh gaining irrigation for 1.31 lakh hectares and Maharashtra ensuring irrigation access for 2.34 lakh hectares, particularly in saline regions.
Expressing their commitment to elevating the initiative further, both leaders plan to petition the Central Government to designate it a national scheme, akin to the Ken-Betwa river-linking project.
CM Yadav, emphasising Madhya Pradesh’s abundant water resources despite the absence of glaciers, stressed the importance of managing its 247 rivers effectively.
He outlined plans to develop three Tapti River streams to maximise agricultural irrigation, ensuring optimal utilisation of water reserves. The initiative will harness 31.13 TMC (Thousand Million Cubic Feet) of water, with Madhya Pradesh receiving 11.76 TMC and Maharashtra securing 19.36 TMC.
Notably, the project requires 3,362 hectares of land but will not disrupt any villages, eliminating the need for rehabilitation. Ensuring equitable water distribution remains a priority, as Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra continue efforts to resolve longstanding water-sharing challenges. Both governments are dedicated to advancing the Tapti and Kanhan river projects in a way that balances environmental conservation, agricultural needs, and industrial expansion.
The newly established irrigation infrastructure will significantly impact the Burhanpur and Khandwa districts, reinforcing agricultural productivity. Complementing this initiative, the Chhindwara Complex Multipurpose Project aims to optimise water use within the Kanhan sub-basin. This venture will benefit Chhindwara’s farmlands while addressing water requirements in Nagpur, marking another step in interstate cooperation.
Madhya Pradesh's commitment to efficient water management extends beyond this project, as it continues collaborative efforts with Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh on similar river-linking programmes, Chief Minister Yadav said. He further said the initiative will establish a permanent irrigation facility, benefiting thousands of hectares across both states, including key tehsils in Burhanpur and Khandwa districts.
Madhya Pradesh has recently initiated work on the Parvati-Kali Sindh-Chambal project in collaboration with Rajasthan and is progressing on the Ken-Betwa river-linking project with Uttar Pradesh; similar efforts are now being undertaken with Maharashtra through the third National River Water Project.
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