Maharashtra has the largest number of big dams in India, pegged at 1,845, but has one of the lowest cropped areas (agriculture) at 17.7 per cent against the national average of 45.5 per cent.
The question being asked is why have such large areas of this state remained unirrigated despite dam construction being undertaken on a “war footing”? Dam expert Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator of South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, points out that some 320 projects were undertaken by the Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation since 1997 but acreage has increased by just 26,000 hectares.
“Maharashtra has 36 per cent of India’s total dams but a fraction of its irrigated area. Already, `72,000 crores has been spent on these projects and another `89,000 crores will be required to complete the major and medium projects in the state.”
The M.K. Kulkarni Committee report on irrigation irregularities has highlighted that the cost of the Gosekhurd project saw an escalation of `1.19 crores per day because its cost had shot up 336 times in the 29 years it took to complete it.
The cost of the Lower Paiganga project in Yavatmal district has seen an escalation of almost `2 crores per day.
Mr Thakkar cites the example of the construction of 11 barrages in Washim which has seen a cost escalation of `50 crores for each barrage from an estimate of `5 crores a year ago. The other alarming aspect of this is that despite a lack of expansion of irrigation facilities, 2,000 million cubic metres of water is being currently allocated for thermal projects, says Mr Thakkar.
He cites the example of the Jayakwadi Dam, near Aurganabad, which is filled to only two per cent of its capacity but where a large chunk of its water supply is being allocated to distilleries and not agriculture.
The other major problem is that work on these damns is often started without getting green clearances. The result is that tenders for the dam are issued with money being received in advance but with the work getting stalled midway. Funds to the tune of `2,500 crores are locked in 28 stalled projects in the state.
Although Madhya Pradesh is the largest state in India, it has 901 dams, according to figures released by the Central Water Commission.