Comments
In a bid to solve the perennial water shortage of Latur and Osmanabad districts in Marathwada, the Maharashtra State Cabinet on Monday has decided to implement water grid projects worth ₹3,122 crore.
The districts will get piped water, which would be lifted from the local dams in the region. The eleven dams in the region would be linked together so that water can be moved from dams which have excess water to those which are deficient in water.
They would also be linked to a pipeline network, booster pumps and water purification systems.
The projects aim to create an integrated piped network to supply water for drinking, industrial and agricultural use, around the year. Soon, a Request for Qualification on ‘ Hybrid-Annuity model ’ would be called by the State Government.
The master plan for technology implementation would be carried out by Israel’s national water company, Mekorot Development and Enterprise. The Maharashtra government has an MoU with Mekorot, under which, the company will prepare 10 preparatory reports and submit it by February 2020.
The company is famous for building the Israeli national water gird. It has advanced technological solutions for increasing the water supply and improving the quality of water.
Project details
The Marathwada region, which traditionally receives scanty rainfall due to its geographical locations and the environmental conditions, faces severe scarcity of drinking water during the summer. In April 2016, the situation was so bad that Latur city had to be supplied with water with the help of railway wagons.
This year, most districts of Maharashtra have received good rains, except those in the region.
The ₹3,122 crore project will cover the main and subsidiary trunk lines and water purification systems. The decision to set up the water grid was taken at a special Cabinet meeting which was held in Aurangabad, the regional centre for Marathwada.
Under the project, Latur district will get 608 km of pipeline and funding of ₹1,712 crore, while Osmanabad will get 704 km of pipeline and funding of ₹1,409 crore.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.