Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav signs and a memorandum of understanding between Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh governments on Saturday at the “Tapti Pasin Mega Recharge Project” in Bhopal. |Picture source: ANI
In a major action toward regional water security, the governments of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Saturday to jointly implement the Tapti Basin Mega Recharge project. The agreement is designed to meet water needs in certain areas of the two states, and it has been completed following the Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra Interstate Control Commission meeting in Bhopal.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, marking a new effort to leverage interstate river resources for sustainable development. The project is the third such initiative taken by the Madhya Pradesh government in the past year, following a link between Ken-Betwa and Uttar Pradesh and Parvati-Kalisindh-Chambal projects in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Under the proposed project, water from the Tapti River in Madhya Pradesh Betul District will be transferred to drinking water needs in northeastern Maharashtra, including Nagpur, and irrigation support is provided to the southern and southeastern areas of Madhya Pradesh, such as Burhanpur and Khandwa. It is worth noting that this river is known as the cassava of Maharashtra.
Mr Fadnavis said the purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding was to benefit 578,000 acres of land in Vidabah and North Maharashtra.
Mr Yadav said consultations will be conducted with the Alliance Government to seek recognition of the TAPTI initiative as a national water project. He noted that the total utilization of water planned under the plan was 3.113 billion cubic feet (TMC), allocating 11.76 TMC to Madhya Pradesh, while 19.36 TMC was Maharashtra.
“The project requires the use of 3,362 hectares of land in Madhya Pradesh, without the displacement of the villages and no rehabilitation is required,” Mr Yadav said.
He added that the projection is expected to ensure permanent irrigation in Madhya Pradesh for 1,23,082 hectares and 2,34,706 hectares in Maharashtra.
The beneficiary areas of Maharashtra are Jargon, Akora, Burdana and Amravati, in Madhya Pradesh, with a total area of 1,23,082 hectares including Berhanpur and khandwa. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 1924.4 crore (according to 2022-23)
Mr Fadnavis said describing the Tapiti Basin initiative as “the largest recharge program in the world”, saying the project was originally conceptualized in the 1990s during his tenure as mayor of Nagpur. He also noted that Saturday’s meeting at the Interstate Commission was the first in 25 years – the meeting was convened in 2000.
“I thank Chief Minister Yadav for his active support in revitalizing this important project, which has had sporadic intergovernmental discussions over the years,” he said.
The last such meeting was held in 2000, and the next meeting is now in 2025. “I visited Madhya Pradesh 28 years ago with the Chief Minister who was then associated with the Jamghat project. It is exciting that the project finally gains momentum. The Jamghat project will eventually get stable water supply to Nagpur City for the next year to 40 years.
publishing – May 10, 2025 11:32 pm ist
