Odisha to invest Rs 75,000 cr for development of water resources in 5 years

The Odisha Government will invest Rs 75,000 crore in the next five years for the development of the water sector, said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday and added that in the last four years, the state government has approved projects worth Rs 46,000 crore for the sector.

Patnaik was addressing the felicitation programme for the Water Resource Department's Team Odisha and Ganjam district for the success in getting National Water Awards.

The CM said that his government provides top priority to the development of water resources.

"We have completed a number of projects in recent years to fulfill the aspirations of people. The expectation of people from the Government has been growing. So we should keep working hard. Any impact in water resources has a tremendous impact on agriculture and in the lives of our farmers," CM Patnaik said.

While the State has received the award as the second-best state in water conservation and management, the Ganjam district has got the top award among the districts at the 4th National Water Awards.

The CM said that the Water Resources Department is implementing 5-T principles in letter and spirit. And the results are there to see. Many of the irrigation projects such as Lower Suktel, Kanupur project, Subarnarekha, Chheligada, and many others are nearing completion.

The CM further said that the kind of in-stream storage structures and mega lift projects that have been taken up will change the face of the irrigation potential of the state and in turn, the lives of millions of farmers.

"The Water Resources Department needs to formulate strategies and build climate-resilient sustainable water infrastructure to make Odisha a Water Secure State at the earliest. That apart, all Collectors need to take up water conservation measures on a large scale as done by Collector, Ganjam to meet the water requirement of their Districts," the Chief Minister added.