Chambal river dams to be renovated with World Bank fund

KOTA: The state government has sanctioned ₹129.87 crore under a World Bank project for rehabilitation of all the three dams on Chambal river. The dams supply irrigation and drinking water to 10 districts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Kota Barrage dam in Kota, Rana Pratap Sagar Dam in Rawatbhata (Chittorgarh) and Jawahar Sagar Dam in Bundi district fall under an inter-state project between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The state-level high power committee headed by Rajasthan water resource department’s principal secretary Naveen Mahajan has sanctioned the fund under a dam rehabilitation improvement project funded by the World Bank.

Mahajan said 18 dams were taken up in the first phase of the World Bank project sanctioned in last year. He added that 18 more dams will be rehabilitated in the second phase.

AD Ansari, superintendent engineer of the water resource department, said civil and mechanical works of the dams will be carried out together.

He said ₹32.74 crore will be spent on the repair and renovation of the Kota barrage Dam, ₹53.57 crore will be spent on Jawahar Sagar Dam and ₹43.66 crore on the Rana Pratap Sagar Dam of Rawatbhata.

Besides, repair and maintenance work of gantry wall, parapet wall and rest house of Kota barrage will be done while gate leafs of all gates and 2 sleuce gates will be changed. Similarly, retaining wall will be developed at Jawahar Sagar Dam while 2 gate leafs will also be replaced, he said. “Tenders will be floated soon for the project that will take 3 years to complete,” Ansari said. The dams cater to Kota, Bundi, Baran, Jhalawar, Chittorgarh, Bhilwara districts of Rajasthan and Bhind, Shivpuri, Murena and Gwalior districts of MP.