Nagpur: An ambitious river-linking plan that promises to redraw the irrigation map of 8 Vidarbha districts is advancing through clearances, with Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC) expressing confidence that the on-ground work for the Wainganga–Nalganga project can begin within a year. “The approval process has been accelerated so that actual work can commence within this year,” VIDC officials said.
The project received state cabinet approval in 2024. A detailed project report worth Rs94,912 crore was prepared by CNSC Tech Limited and is under administrative consideration. The initial cost was pegged at Rs87,342.86 crore.Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis placed the project on priority, reviewing progress periodically. In the coming months, forest and environmental clearances will be pursued in parallel with submission of the detailed proposal to the Central Water Commission to save time and avoid delays, officials said.The scheme proposes diverting 1,804 million cubic metres of surplus monsoon water from the Gosikhurd (Indira Sagar) national project on the Wainganga to the Nalganga in the Tapi sub-basin. This transfer, planned over 70 monsoon days, is expected to bring 4,04,281 hectares under irrigation across Bhandara, Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Yavatmal, Akola, Washim and Buldhana, while also strengthening domestic and industrial water supply.A 388.28-km link canal is planned, including 13 tunnels spanning 23.77 km and about 292 km of open canal. Water will be lifted at 8 locations using pumps. Technical studies by the Nashik Hydrology Project, submitted last year, concluded that the plan is economically viable.To store and regulate flows for the rabi season, the project includes 50 storage reservoirs. Of 18 existing reservoirs, 10 will be heightened; 32 new reservoirs will be built. 3 existing projects — Lower Wardha, Katepurna and Nalganga — will also function as storage structures.Provision was made for 80 million cubic metres for domestic use and 139 million cubic metres for industrial needs along the canal corridor. Calling it a plan with the “capacity to transform districts starved of irrigation,” VIDC officials said that if procedures proceed as scheduled, “work on the ground can start within a year.”
