Rejuvenation of Dham river and Moti nullah may end Wardha’s water woes

Nagpur: Wardha, the land of Mahatma Gandhi's Sevagram Ashram, is the second-worst hit district after Yavatmal due to farmers’ suicides on account of severe water scarcity. A major turnaround may have happened with Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari claiming that rejuvenation of a river and nullah without disturbing the ecological balance would soon end the water shortage in the district.
Gadkari, along with a couple of NGOs and corporates, worked together after aggrieved villagers approached the minister with problems arising out of water scarcity.Gadkari rushed a letter to Bajaj Group chairman emeritus Rahul Bajaj seeking help under Corporates Social Responsibility (CSR) funds for rejuvenation of Dham, a subsidiary of Vena river, passing through 26km in the district.
Silt accumulated over the years had restricted the river’s flow, which often led to flooding of villages during monsoon.
A decision was taken to implement the popular Buldhana pattern that involved sourcing earth for improvement/construction of national highways, state roads and railways and water conservation works through desiltation/deepening of water bodies.
Bajaj immediately sanctioned Rs4 crore and roped in his NGO – Jankidevi Bajaj Gramin Vikas Sanstha (JBGVS) – to help the state irrigation department in the project. Just before the onset of monsoon, the district administration led by collector Prerna Deshbhratar along with the irrigation department officials and JBGVS members under Shiksha Mandal chairman Sanjay Bhargava started desilting and widening work on 2km stretch of Dham river.
The combined workforce worked round the clock from May 27 to 31. Their efforts increased the river flow and its capacity augmented by 6%. Now, the team has planned to finish work on the remaining stretch as the monsoon has withdrawn.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) offered CSR funds of Rs2 crore for Moti nullah desilting works on Tamaswada Pattern. An NGO – Purti Sinchan Samruddhi Kalyankari Sanstha — led by a team of geologists, including Madhao Kotasthane, deepened and widened the nullah to benefit six villages that used to be inundated during the rainy season.
“If every village in Maharashtra adopted the same pattern, it would become drought-free with minimal expense and suicides too would go down significantly. Building big dams involves lots of complex permissions like environment clearances, and expenses are on the higher side. The Buldhana pattern is the most cost-effective way to ensure water throughout the year without disturbing ecological balance,” Gadkari told the media during his visit to both the places on Monday.
* Dham River rejuvenation
Location | Yelakeli village, Selu town, Wardha
CSR funds | Jankidevi Bajaj Gramin Vikas Sanstha
Amount | Rs 4 crore
* Moti Nullah Water Conservation
Location | Mandwa village, Arvi town, Wardha
CSR funds | Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust
Amount | Rs 2 crore
Works done | Desilting & widening
Area irrigated | 2,000 hectares in each project
Benefits | Flooding stopped, groundwater recharged