'Small dams key for drought-free Maharashtra'

MUMBAI: On Sunday, CM PrithvirajChavan, along with Union agriculture minister SharadPawar and several other state ministers, will inaugurate 1,497 cement check dams across 15 talukas in western Maharashtra. The small dams, costing around Rs 25,000 crore, are to be the state's solution to prevent future droughts.
It is also a clear signal from the state government on their stand to consciously move away from the large alleged scam-tainted projects to smaller, and more efficient methods of irrigation.
Chavan terms it as his vision for creating a drought-proof Maharashtra. But the decision also highlights the government's discomfort at the Rs 70,000-crore irrigation scam in the last decade. The TOI, in a series of reports, had exposed how deputy CM and NCP Nationalist Congress Party leader AjitPawar as irrigation minister had approved cost escalations in violation of laid-down norms.
Chavan Pawar resigned briefly from the cabinet to allow a non-partisan probe but returned immediately after the government announced a probe headed by former bureaucrat and well-known hydrologist Madhav Chitale.
Chavan in an informal chat with journalists said on Friday that in the rain-shadow region-western Maharashtra, from where the Pawars hail — decentralized water projects and not large dams, was the answer to fighting repeated drought. and not large dams.
"We have irrigation projects worth Rs 80,000 crore underway but our budget this year for these projects is only Rs 7,000 crore. The water from these dams can only go to where the canals can be laid. Also, in these local water projects there is no issue of land acquisition and displacement. Villagers can supervise and implement the schemes themselves. The project will not be at the mercy of contractors,'' he said.
Chavan said he wanted to drought-proof the state and ensure that in future there is no shortage of drinking water and fodder.
"We have spent Rs 5,500 crore on drought mitigation measures. The spending was necessary but it is a waste as it will not stop recurrence of the drought," he added.
During the current drought the state government spent Rs 150 crore to build cement check dams modelled on the Shirpur pattern in Dhule district. The Shirpur pattern was introduced by a former PWD engineer Suresh Khanapurkar a decade ago to arrest water flowing from the hills and ensure percolation, raise the ground water level and thus create water availability throughout the year. His efforts were funded by the local Congress MLA Amrish Patel. The method included widening and deepening the natural streams and building cement check dams at regular intervals so more water could be arrested and better percolation. These projects have been implemented adjoining fields. It has ensured Shirpur is drought free.
Chavan said along with the senior Pawar he had mooted a proposal before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to build several such cement check dams across the state. Additionally the government will also spend on building plastic-lined farm ponds, repair existing percolation tanks and promote traditional methods of water conservation.
Over the next three years we shall need to spend Rs 60,000 crore. The state will annually give Rs 10,000 crore and we have asked the Centre for the balance 50% for all these schemes. It will be decentralised and will be done with people's participation ensure transparency and good quality of work,'' he said.