Maharashtra Secures 10 TMC Water From Narmada Project After Delhi Meeting

DELHI — Maharashtra has secured approval to draw 10 TMC (Thousand Million Cubic feet) of water from the Narmada project, resolving a long-standing dispute. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the development on Tuesday following a high-powered meeting in Delhi chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The allocation resolves a multi-decade geographical bottleneck. Fadnavis explained that due to geographical and topological constraints, the promised water could not previously flow to Maharashtra from neighboring states.

Under the newly approved arrangement, Maharashtra will lift five TMC of water through the Narmada-Tapi basin. The remaining five TMC will be sourced directly from the Ukai dam. Fadnavis described the agreement as a "win-win situation" for all stakeholder states, which include Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

The high-powered meeting was convened by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to address these long-standing grievances. The multi-state Narmada project spans across Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh, and the rehabilitation of the project-affected people was placed at the top of the meeting's agenda.

For several decades, affected families displaced by the project have campaigned for financial compensation, rehabilitation, and alternate land for livelihood and housing. Addressing these concerns, Fadnavis stated that the rehabilitation of these displaced populations has been completed, and the land was cleared many years ago.

Additionally, the discussions in Delhi touched upon the final approval for Maharashtra’s proposed river-linking project. This project is expected to provide critical water supply to the state's drought-hit regions. The Chief Minister stated that the state government is prepared to start the tendering process for the river-linking project as soon as the Central government issues its formal go-ahead.