Maharashtra: Govt nod to Marathwada water grid project in phases

The state Cabinet on Wednesday approved a water grid project in phases to tackle drought in Marathwada.

In the first phase, the project will begin from Jaikwadi dam in Aurangabad’s Paithan taluka. The government has approved an initial amount of Rs 285 crore for the project. The second phase will cover other talukas in Aurangabad, which will be followed by work in dams of Beed, Osmanabad, Latur, Jalna, Nanded, Hingoli and Parbhani districts in the third phase.

“The project will be executed in phases taking into consideration water availability and requirement,” an official note from the CMO said.

The multi-crore project was proposed by former CM Devendra Fadnavis in 2016. Under this, all 11 major dams in eight Marathawada districts will be interlinked. The objective is to ensure better and effective water management to tackle perinnial water crisis in the region.