Madhya Pradesh voices concerns over Rs 19,244 crore Tapi Basin mega recharge scheme (TBMRS)

Time of India

16-05-2025

Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis
BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh may have signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the
Tapi Basin Mega Recharge Scheme
(TBMRS) — a massive inter-state
groundwater rejuvenation project
with Maharashtra, touted as the world's largest of its kind — but not everyone in the state is on board.
Last week, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra signed an MoU to jointly implement the project after a meeting of the Madhya Pradesh–Maharashtra Inter-State Control Board in Bhopal. The MoU was signed by MP chief minister Mohan Yadav and Maharashtra deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.
A section of the MP bureaucracy, however, remains sceptical, expressing concern that the scheme offers limited benefits to the state compared to its financial burden, sources informed.
Some officials had earlier proposed alternatives that would include districts like Betul within Madhya Pradesh to ensure a more equitable distribution of benefits.
"During my tenure, the proposal involved transferring Madhya Pradesh's share of water to Maharashtra, which we did not agree to. I haven't seen the current MoU, but in any sub-surface storage, the downstream state often ends up withdrawing more water, and accurate water accounting becomes difficult.
We had identified a suitable site on the Tapti river, on the border of Betul and Khandwa districts, and prepared a detailed project report (DPR) for a reservoir that could irrigate over one lakh hectares.
Unfortunately, the project didn't progress as the government shifted focus due to the 2018 elections," said a senior official on condition of anonymity.
At the heart of the discontent is the scheme's financial structure.
With an estimated total cost of Rs 19,244 crore, Maharashtra is expected to bear 62% (Rs 11,931 crore), while Madhya Pradesh would contribute the remaining 38% (Rs 7,313 crore).
"It is not yet decided whether the central government will bear the maximum cost of this project or these two states will have to do it on their own," said an officer.
However, this investment split reflects the project's unequal benefits: Maharashtra stands to gain 66% of the irrigated area (2.34 lakh hectares), while Madhya Pradesh would receive just 34% (1.23 lakh hectares).
This imbalance has raised red flags, with experts warning that a skewed cost-benefit ratio could exacerbate inter-state tensions — especially since many of the infrastructure components, including groundwater recharge structures and canals, span across administrative borders and require coordinated management.
TBMRS is currently planned to cover six districts and 16 tehsils across the two states. In Madhya Pradesh, the project includes Khargone and Burhanpur districts, while Maharashtra's share spans Amravati, Akola, Buldhana, and Jalgaon.
The scheme aims to utilise 31.13 TMC of water, with 11.76 TMC allocated to Madhya Pradesh and 19.36 TMC to Maharashtra — including 8.31 TMC from dam releases and 22.82 TMC through aquifer recharge.
TBMRS requires approximately 8,118 hectares of land, with 4,836 hectares privately owned. The project, however, does not involve displacement of any villages, eliminating the need for resettlement.
Land distribution is as follows:
Madhya Pradesh: 3,362 hectares (1,599 ha private)
Maharashtra: 4,756 hectares (3,237 ha private)
Geological studies have confirmed that the identified recharge zones — largely composed of talus and alluvial deposits — possess high infiltration potential, making them ideal for sustainable groundwater replenishment.
The project's roots trace back to a 1958 technical committee led by M. S. Thimmal Iyengar, which assessed water availability at the Ukai Dam on the Tapi River. In 2014, a task force under the director of the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) revisited the concept. Following favourable feasibility assessments in 2016, detailed project reports were developed by WAPCOS, supported by satellite and geophysical data.
While the technical groundwork for TBMRS is largely complete, the project faces an uncertain future due to unresolved fiscal issues. The budget has yet to receive final approval, and disagreements over cost-sharing and maintenance responsibilities persist. Officers say TBMRS could be a transformative initiative — but only if both Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh can find common ground on financial and administrative commitments.
Key infrastructure elements include:
A diversion weir at Kharya Gut Ghat in Khandwa (MP) with a storage capacity of 8.31 TMC.
Three major canal systems:
Right Bank Canal (RBC): 221 km
Left Bank Canal – Phase I (LBC-1): 135.64 km
Left Bank Canal – Phase II (LBC-2): 123.97 km