The central government, and the governments of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a new project that will enhance the water availability in Rajasthan. The project is aimed at fulfilling the anticipated benefits of the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP), which was conceived to provide irrigation and drinking water to the drought-prone areas of eastern Rajasthan.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, at a press conference in Jaipur on Monday. Shekhawat said that the project will be a “game-changer” for the people of Rajasthan, as it will ensure water security and economic development in the region.
“The ERCP is a visionary project that will benefit 13 districts of Rajasthan, covering an area of 2.12 lakh square kilometres, and a population of 3.76 crore. The project will provide irrigation to 13.42 lakh hectares of land, and drinking water to 1.65 crore people. The project will also generate 850 MW of hydropower, and create employment opportunities for the local people,” Shekhawat said.
He added that the project will be implemented in two phases, with an estimated cost of Rs 40,000 crore. The first phase will involve the construction of a 195-km long canal from Kota Barrage to Parvati River, and the second phase will involve the construction of a 256-km long canal from Parvati River to Banas River. The project will also include the development of several dams, reservoirs, tunnels, and aqueducts along the canal.
The MoU signed on Monday is a tripartite agreement between the central government, and the two state governments, for the sharing of water, land, and costs for the project. According to the MoU, the central government will bear 90% of the cost of the project, while the remaining 10% will be shared equally by the two state governments. The water allocation for the project will be 4,000 million cubic metres (MCM) per year, of which 3,000 MCM will be for Rajasthan, and 1,000 MCM will be for Madhya Pradesh.
The chief ministers of both the states expressed their gratitude to the central government for approving the project, and said that it will strengthen the cooperation and brotherhood between the two states. They also said that the project will address the long-standing water scarcity issues in their respective states, and improve the quality of life of the people.
The ERCP is a part of the National Perspective Plan (NPP) for water resources development, which was prepared by the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. The NPP envisages the interlinking of rivers across the country, to transfer surplus water from water-rich regions to water-deficient regions, and to augment the water resources for various purposes. The ERCP is one of the 16 priority links identified under the NPP, and the first one to be taken up for implementation.
