MP, Maharashtra to sign agreement on Tapti water sharing project: CM Mohan Yadav

CM Mohan Yadav said Madhya Pradesh will ask the Centre to declare the Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project as a national water project

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Maharashtra will soon sign an agreement for Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project, said MP chief minister Mohan Yadav on Friday.

Plans are underway to invite the Union minister for Jal Shakti and the Maharashtra chief minister to Bhopal for the formal agreement process (Hindustan Times)

After a review meeting of Tapti Basin Mega Recharge and Kanhan Sub-Basin Projects in Bhopal, Yadav said, “The obstacles in this interstate joint initiative have now been resolved, and discussions with the Maharashtra government are progressing toward signing an agreement soon. Plans are underway to invite the Union minister for Jal Shakti and the chief minister of Maharashtra to Bhopal to initiate the formal agreement process.”

Yadav added that discussions will be initiated with the Centre to declare the Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project, world’s largest groundwater recharge project, as a national water project.

Under the Tapti Mega Recharge Project, three streams of the Tapti river will be developed in collaboration with the Maharashtra government, ensuring the optimal use of every drop for irrigation, industrialisation, and drinking purposes while maintaining harmonious inter-state relations.

The Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Scheme will utilise a total of 31.13 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water, with 11.76 TMC allocated to Madhya Pradesh and 19.36 TMC to Maharashtra. For the construction of proposed dams and canals, 3,362 hectares of land will be used in Madhya Pradesh. As no villages will be affected by the project, there will be no requirement for rehabilitation, he added.

Yadav said that government was actively working to resolve long-pending water-sharing issues, ensuring that farmers receive sufficient irrigation water and industries have the necessary resources for growth.

The project will benefit four tehsils in Madhya Pradesh, including Burhanpur, Nepanagar, Khaknar, and Khalwa in the Burhanpur and Khandwa districts.

The Chhindwara Complex Multipurpose Project, proposed by Madhya Pradesh for water utilisation in the Kanhan sub-basin, will benefit both states. The project will provide water to Nagpur in Maharashtra while also ensuring adequate irrigation for the agricultural areas of Chhindwara district in Madhya Pradesh.