Chhattisgarh unveils Rs 49,000 crore irrigation & hydropower push in Bastar as anti-Naxal ops clear path
Chhattisgarh has proposed ₹49,000 crore mega irrigation and hydropower projects in Bastar as
anti-Naxal operations
advance across Left-Wing Extremism-affected districts.
About 45 years after the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal Award allocated 301 TMC of water from the Indravati River to Chhattisgarh (then part of Madhya Pradesh), the state has proposed two projects - construction of the Bodhghat dam and interlinking the Indravati and Mahanadi rivers. Despite being allocated 301 TMC of water from the Indravati, the state currently utilises only 25 TMC. The Bodhghat project proposes to use 96.27 TMC.
Due to Naxal activity, no dam or related infrastructure could be implemented in Bastar. Of the 8.15 lakh hectares of crop area, irrigation facilities currently exist for only around 1.36 lakh hectares. With anti-Naxal operations now in full swing in Chhattisgarh, the state government has proposed construction of the ₹29,000 crore Bodhghat dam and the ₹20,000 crore interlinking project. According to the proposal, this will provide irrigation facilities for 7 lakh hectares of land.
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The two projects will span Naxal-affected districts including Mungeli, Rajnandgaon, Kawardha, Dantewada, Sukma, Bijapur, Kanker, and Narayanpur. According to sources, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai met Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week and urged that the two projects be granted "national status". This would ensure central funding. In a letter to the Prime Minister, reviewed by ET, Sai stated, "Given the high cost of the project, it is extremely difficult for the state to implement it with its own resources. Therefore, it is requested that these projects be declared as National Projects, so that their implementation can be ensured for the development of Bastar."
In addition to irrigation, the Bodhghat multipurpose project is expected to generate 125 MW of electricity and produce 4,824 tonnes of fish annually. It will also supply water for drinking and industrial use. As per the state's proposal, 269 villages will benefit directly. However, there are significant challenges to implementation, including 10,440 hectares of land to be fully submerged, 28 villages to be entirely affected, and 14 to be partially affected. The Indravati-Mahanadi interlinking project will also require clearances from the Central Water Commission and the Ministries of Environment and Tribal Affairs.
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