Marathwada Water Grid Project accelerated; Maha CM directs expedited submission of preliminary report

Mumbai: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday directed officials to accelerate the Marathwada Water Grid Project, a key initiative aimed at permanently resolving the water scarcity in the Marathwada region and making it drought-free.

He instructed that the Preliminary Project Report be uploaded immediately and processed rapidly for submission to the Union Ministry of Finance's Department of Economic Affairs. The directives were issued during a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at his official residence, 'Varsha', in Mumbai, alongside a senior delegation from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The meeting reviewed the layout of the Marathwada Water Grid Project as well as various infrastructure initiatives being undertaken through collaboration between Maharashtra and Japan.

JICA is expected to provide financial assistance of approximately Rs 20,000 crore for this ambitious project. Given the uneven distribution of water in Marathwada, the primary objective of the Water Grid Project is to transfer water from surplus dams to drought-prone reservoirs via closed pipelines. A two-way flow system will be developed for this purpose, he said.

According to the CM, the first phase of the project covers four districts: Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Beed, Latur, and Dharashiv. It will interconnect key reservoirs including Jayakwadi, Majalgaon, Manjara, Ujani, Lower Terna, and Lower Manar.

The phase involves laying nearly 3,095 kilometres of primary and secondary pipelines and establishing 15 water treatment plants, directly benefiting nearly 10 million citizens.

The estimated cost of the Water Grid Project across all eight districts is approximately Rs 25,056 crore. JICA has responded favourably regarding loan assistance of about Rs 20,000 crore for the first phase.

Since Latur and Dharashiv fall under earthquake-prone zones, Japan's advanced earthquake-resistant technology will be utilised in construction. This includes the use of ductile iron pipes, modern pumping systems, and a SCADA network. Additionally, the project will ensure a sustainable water supply to industries in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar's AURIC City, Shendra-Bidkin, and Waluj industrial areas, he stated.

In addition to water infrastructure, joint initiatives are underway between Japanese companies and the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) to position Maharashtra globally in the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) sector. As part of this collaboration, the 'Manga Caravan' event will be hosted in Mumbai this February, an initiative welcomed by CM Fadnavis.

The appointment of a Project Management Consultant and the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Marathwada Water Grid Project will be completed swiftly in cooperation with JICA. Plans have been drawn up to ensure on-ground project execution is completed by 2029.

Fadnavis assured that the State Government will further strengthen its partnership with Japan across infrastructure, water supply, transportation, environment, and modern technology, promising all necessary support for these ventures.

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