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dna special: Maharashtra government eyes corporate funding for major drought-tackling project

To tackle recurring drought in the state and ensure water security, the Maharashtra government is planning to tap corporates for its ambitious 'Jalyukta Shivar' project. The state is planning to seek corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds, technical inputs and know-how for the programme, which aims at covering 5,000 villages in a year and was launched on Republic Day.

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As many as 1 lakh wells will be tapped in drought-affected areas of Vidarbha and Marathwada
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To tackle recurring drought in the state and ensure water security, the Maharashtra government is planning to tap corporates for its ambitious 'Jalyukta Shivar' project. The state is planning to seek corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds, technical inputs and know-how for the programme, which aims at covering 5,000 villages in a year and was launched on Republic Day.

The state has already declared around 19,000 villages in Maharashtra drought-affected, with large swathes of Marathwada reeling under scarcity. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state will have a Rs1,000-crore outlay for the scheme and provide Rs600 crore by June.

The programme aims at conserving water and ensuring moisture security. Around 10,000 cement bunds are planned to be constructed in 2015-16 and 1 lakh wells will be tapped in drought-affected areas of Vidarbha and Marathwada.

"There may be some gaps in the programme, like funding not being available for some schemes, or a certain area not being entitled to a particular scheme... we aim at filling these gaps through CSR funds," said a senior official involved in the exercise. Next week, the state will make a presentation to select corporates on the various engagement models that could emerge — contribution of funds, technical inputs, supply of machinery and expertise.

"The scheme aims at bringing all departments related to water and water conservation under one umbrella," the official said.

"There will be sometime till the benefits of the programme trickle down to masses. Apart from constructing structures to store water, water use, rejuvenating old water storage and irrigation structures and aquifers and changing cropping patterns will also be tackled."

The state is also planning a conclave in the first week of March with companies regarding the CSR initiative.

According to the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority (MWRRA), of the five river basin systems, only 55% of the dependable yield is available in the four river basins (Krishna, Godavari, Tapi and Narmada) east of the Western Ghats. These four basins comprise 92% of the cultivable land and more than 60% of the rural population.

An approximate 49% of the area of these four river basins consisting 43% of the population is already considered as deficit or highly deficit regarding water availability. The size of these deficit areas is likely to increase steadily with increasing population and economic growth in the years to come. The remaining 45% water flow is from the westward flowing rivers, which originate in the Western Ghats, are monsoon specific and drain into the Arabian Sea.

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