Mumbai: The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has formally responded positively to extending a loan of Rs 20,000 crore for the first phase of the ambitious Marathwada Water Grid Project, which is aimed at permanently solving the problem of water scarcity in Marathwada and making this region drought-free.
Following a high-level review meeting held at his official ‘Varsha’ residence in Mumbai, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed senior officials to immediately upload the Preliminary Project Report (PPR) and forward it to the Union Government’s Department of Economic Affairs to secure the final necessary clearances.
The comprehensive grid across all eight districts of the region is projected to cost around Rs 25,056 crore, with the state government aiming for a 2029 completion timeline for the JICA-funded phase.
The process of appointing a Project Management Consultant and preparing a DPR for the Marathwada Water Grid Project will be completed with the support of JICA. The project is planned to be completed by 2029.
According to state officials, considering the uneven distribution of water in Marathwada, the main objective of the water grid project is to transport water from dams with surplus water to dams in drought-prone areas through closed pipelines. For this, a dual flow system will be developed.
The first phase of the project covers four districts of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Beed, Latur and Dharashiv and the dams of Jayakwadi, Majalgaon, Manjara, Ujani, Lower Terna and Lower Manar will be interconnected.
About 3,095 km of main and secondary pipelines and 15 water purification plants will be constructed. About one crore citizens will directly benefit from this project.
CM Fadnavis assured that the state government will further strengthen cooperation with Japan for the development of Maharashtra’s infrastructure as well as for projects in the water, transport, environment and modern technology sectors, and that the government will provide all necessary support to all projects.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
