Mumbai, Sep 8 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday asked the administration that the ambitious Wainganga-Nalganga river linking project should be examined through the State-level Technical Advisory Committee, with a detailed project report (DPR) to be submitted to the government by October 15 this year.

CM Fadnavis during a review meeting emphasised that the project must progress through a time-bound plan. He instructed officials to send a letter to the Central Government and follow up to obtain at least 25 per cent of the project funding.

He also assured that the necessary funds will be provided by the state government. Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan and other concerned officials were present.

The survey work for the first phase, from Gosikhurd to Lower Wardha, has been completed on time. For the next phase, the chief minister instructed that environmental clearance should be obtained and the first phase of the project commence immediately.

CM Fadnavis earlier said that the Rs 87,000 crore Wainganga-Nalganga and Rs 7,015 crore Nar-Par-Girna river linking projects will irrigate 95,760 hectares, along with the Rs 40,000 crore Marathwada Water Grid will benefit 12,000 villages across 79 sub-divisions and 79 towns across Marathwada.

These projects will help to combat recurring drought in backward Vidarbha, Marathwada and North Maharashtra regions.

According to the water resources department. The Wainganga–Nalganga Interlinking Project will help to lift water from the Wainganga River (a tributary of the Godavari) and channel it into the Nalganga basin (part of the Tapi system). The goal is to irrigate hundreds of thousands of hectares of once-barren farmland.

The Wainganga–Nalganga project will span roughly 426–427 km of canals, pipelines and lift-irrigation structures. The project comprises about 41 dams, including the 10 already on hand, with 31 new reservoirs to be built.

Together, these have a storage capacity of about 1,772 million cubic metres of water.

–IANS

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