“Tapti Basin Mega Recharge” Stands as the Worlds Largest Groundwater Recharge Project :Chief Minister Dr. Yadav

Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav said that the Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project is the world’s largest groundwater recharge project. 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. Dr. Yadav on Friday chaired a meeting at the Ministry to review the implementation of the Tapti Basin Mega Recharge and Kanhan Sub-Basin Projects, directing officials to expedite their execution. He emphasized the state’s commitment to ensuring the timely completion of both projects. He highlighted that under the Tapti Mega Recharge Yojana, three streams of the Tapti River will be developed in collaboration with the Maharashtra government, ensuring the optimal use of every drop of river water for national interest and agricultural irrigation.The meeting was attended by Water Resources Minister Tulsiram Silawat, MLA Archana Chitnis, Chief Secretary Anurag Jain, Additional Chief Secretary Dr. Rajesh Rajoura, and senior officials from the Water Resources Departments of both Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav said that discussions will be initiated with the Central Government to declare the Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project as a National Water Project. He emphasized the need to safeguard Madhya Pradesh’s water interests in the Kanhan (Jamghat) multi-purpose project, proposed within the Tapti Basin and Kanhan sub-basin. He directed that continuous discussions are held with the Maharashtra government to accelerate the implementation of both projects. He informed that the Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Scheme will utilize a total of 31.13 TMC of water, with 11.76 TMC allocated to Madhya Pradesh and 19.36 TMC to Maharashtra. The project will involve the use of 3,362 hectares of land in Madhya Pradesh through the construction of proposed dams and canals. As no villages will be affected by the project, there will be no requirement for rehabilitation.

Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav said that Madhya Pradesh is making continuous progress across all sectors in its development journey. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state remains committed to equitably sharing its river resources with neighboring states in a fair and amicable manner. The goal is to ensure adequate water availability for irrigation, industrialization, and drinking purposes while maintaining harmonious inter-state relations.He emphasized that the government is actively working to resolve long-pending water-sharing issues, ensuring that farmers receive sufficient irrigation water and industries have the necessary resources for growth. In this context, discussions have begun with Maharashtra to address river water-sharing concerns. The Chief Minister noted that his counterpart in Maharashtra shares the same commitment and is keen on making concrete efforts to resolve the long-pending Tapti and Kanhan river water projects in collaboration with Madhya Pradesh.

Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav said that the state is progressing in this direction under the guidance and advice of the Union Jal Shakti Minister. He highlighted that upon completion of the Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project, a permanent irrigation facility will be established, benefiting 1,23,082 hectares of land in Madhya Pradesh and 2,34,706 hectares in Maharashtra. The project will specifically benefit four tehsils in Madhya Pradesh, including Burhanpur, Nepanagar, Khaknar, and Khalwa in the Burhanpur and Khandwa districts.

Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav said that the Chhindwara Complex Multipurpose Project, proposed by Madhya Pradesh for water utilization in the Kanhan sub-basin, will benefit both states. The project will provide water to Nagpur city in Maharashtra while also ensuring adequate irrigation for the agricultural areas of Chhindwara district in Madhya Pradesh. He emphasized the state’s commitment to utilizing every drop of water from its rivers in the best interest of both the state and the nation. He stated that just as Madhya Pradesh has recently initiated work on the Parvati-Kali Sindh-Chambal project in collaboration with Rajasthan and is progressing on the Ken-Betwa river-linking project with Uttar Pradesh; similar efforts are now being undertaken with Maharashtra through this third National River Water Project. The project will ensure a reliable water supply to the northern regions of Maharashtra and the southern parts of Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, it will help address the drinking water needs of a major city like Nagpur while also securing irrigation water for Chhindwara district. Dr. Yadav further stated that officials from both states would co-ordinate closely to ensure the timely implementation of these projects. During the meeting, Water Resources Minister Tulsiram Silawat and MLA Archana Chitnis expressed their gratitude to the Chief Minister for initiating the Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project, which has significantly impacted the lifeline of the Nimar region.

Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project

Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project is proposed as a joint project of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra states. Irrigation is proposed in 1,23,082 hectares of Madhya Pradesh and 2,34,706 hectares of Maharashtra through this scheme. Groundwater storage will be expanded under the project, which will benefit Burhanpur, Nepanagar, Khaknar and Khalwa tehsils of Burhanpur and Khandwa districts of the state.

Under this Project, a 66 TMC capacity water-filling dam was initially proposed for traditional storage, which would have impacted over 17,000 hectares of land, including forested areas and tiger reserves. Additionally, approximately 14,000 people across 73 villages were expected to be affected. To address this issue, the plan has been modified, replacing traditional water storage with a groundwater recharge scheme, thereby eliminating these obstacles while ensuring efficient water conservation.

Under the Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Scheme, mainly four water structures are proposed

Low Diversion Weir at Kharia Gutighat Dam Site:- This weir is proposed at Khalwa Tehsil of Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh and Amravati Tehsil of Maharashtra on the border of both the states. Its water filling capacity is proposed to be 8.31 TMC.

Right Bank Canal Phase I:- A 221 km long canal is proposed from the right bank of the proposed Kharia Gutighat weir, which will be built 110 km in Madhya Pradesh. This canal will irrigate 55 thousand 89 hectares of area in Madhya Pradesh.

Left Bank Canal Phase I:- A 135.64 km long canal is proposed from the left bank of the proposed Kharia Gutighat weir, which will be built 100.42 km in Madhya Pradesh. Irrigation is proposed in 44 thousand 993 hectares of area in Madhya Pradesh from this canal.

Left Bank Canal Phase II:This canal will flow through a 14 km long tunnel from RD 90.89 km of Left Bank Canal Phase I. Its length will be 123.97 km, through which irrigation is proposed in 80 thousand hectares of Maharashtra alone.

Chhindwara Complex Multipurpose Project in Kanhan Sub-Basin

• The project received administrative approval for ₹5,470.95 crore in 2019.
• It includes the construction of Sangam One, Sangam Two, Ramghat, and Pandhurna dams.
• The project will provide irrigation to 1,90,500 hectares of land.
• Beneficiary development blocks include Junnardev, Umreth, Chhindwara, Mohkhed, Pandhurna, Sonsar, and Bichhua.
• A total of 20 million cubic meters of water will be reserved for industrial use.
• The project will generate 30 MW of hydroelectric power.