River rejuvenation in Narkhed to ensure 24x7 irrigation water

A river rejuvenation project was launched in Kharsauli village by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari

A river rejuvenation project, a first of its kind in Vidarbha region will ensure 24 hours water supply for irrigation for about 15,000 hectares of farm land in the entire river stretch in Katol taluka.

The project will prove to be a boon for orange growers.

Madar river which runs through two big townships of Katol and Narkhed in Nagpur district--with a length of 28 kms-- was lying neglected and remained dry for most part of the year with solid rocks in its bed as a mute witness to the grim situation.

But recently BJP MLA from Katol, Ashish Deshmukh decided to give a new lease of life to the river.

A river rejuvenation project under the state funding of Vidarbha Intensive Irrigation Programme (VIIP) was launched in Kharsauli village in Narkhed by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

The rejuvenation will enable farmers from the nearby areas to fetch water from the river round-the-clock for irrigating mostly their orange orchards, Deshmukh told a group of visiting mediapersons.

The area in scientific parlance is known as dark zone. The under ground water table has gone down deeply and even after 800 to 900 ft, there is no trace of a drop of water.

"In such a situation, the rejuvenation of river Madar was the only option left. Therefore, we undertook the rejuvenation project," he said.

The river passes through Mohdi, Narkhed, Kharsauli, Junona, Gharad, Tindergaon, Parsodi and Narsingi. 12 out of 16 Kolhapur check weirs have been constructed on Madar river and rain water which used to flow down the lane as usual in rainy season, have been accumulated in the water reservoir this year, Deshmukh said.

He said a total of Rs 16 crores are being spent and the target of completion is October 2016, but he was hopeful that it would be done by March next year.

The 'Jalyukta Shivar Yojna' (water conservation) project of Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis has helped accumulation of rain water in the river during monsoon, Deshmukh added.