State backs...

The EAC had then given environment clearance (EC) to the remaining part of KMIP, which includes building two other Lift Irrigation Schemes in the adjoining Osmanabad district.

The minutes of the EAC meeting, issued this month and a copy of which is with HT, show the government has now asked the Centre to amend the EC given to the KMIP to include Ashti LIS as it was an “integral part of the project” and there was only one revised administrative approval for all three LIS in 2009. The minutes of the meeting show the EAC has deferred the proposal and sought additional information on the project, including a water availability certificate from the Central Water Commission (CWC), as Bhima, from where the water will be diverted, is an interstate river.

KMIP envisages taking 23 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water from Ujjani dam in Solapur, nearly 45% of its live storage, and carrying it to drought-prone Osmanabad and Beed districts in parched Marathwada. The Ashti lift irrigation scheme is the last leg of this project and 100km away. It has been proposed that 5.68 TMC water will be pumped from the Ujjani dam to the Kuntephal tank in Ashti LIS through six stages of water lifts.

But all this is only on paper. The ground reality is the government has assurance of only 7 TMC of water for the entire project. That’s because the KMIP, in turn, was dependent on a more ambitious Krishna Bhima stabilisation project that had proposed to divert nearly 63 TMC of water from the Krishna river basins to Ujjani. This project had been rejected by the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT), the adjucating authority for allocation of water from the river basin shared between three states.

The government has, however, defended the project saying KMIP was the need of the hour and could transform Marathwada. In 2016, the Fadnavis-led government, in a special cabinet meet held in Marathwada, had cleared the project.

“The Chitale committee had called the project flawed because the previous government gave contract and started work on the last stage of the project in Ashti before ensuring where and how the water would be carried to Marathwada. We have started building the two tunnels that will be used to divert and carry the water; ₹500 crore has already been spent on it. Now work on this phase can start as water is guaranteed,” said Iqbal Chahal, principal secretary water resources department.

Chahal, however, admitted instead of 23.66 TMC, so far, only 7 TMC water was assured.

“We intend to prioritise Ashti LIS as it is a drought-prone district, so for now 7 TMC is enough. We will get environment approval from the Centre. We have also tied up finances for the project, which was one of the hurdles for completing it. We should get a loan from NABARD by next month for the project. It will be complete within five years,” he added.

Chahal, however, did not explain how 7 TMC of water would be enough for all three LIS. The two LIS proposed in Osmanabad district, where the work has been going on, require 17.9 TMC and Ashti LIS requires 5.68 TMC.

A senior water resources official said the government was counting on getting additional share of water of around 84 TMC from the KWDT Part II, portion of which would then get diverted here but so far no notification to this effect has been issued.

Water experts have long told the government that this project is a costly pipe dream. “There is no clarity even about getting this 7 TMC of water. This government has learnt no lessons from the irrigation scam. They will build the project, give money to contractors, but there will be no water in this project,” said Pradeep Purandare, water expert and retired professor from the Water and Land Management Institute (Walmi).