Lendi Irrigation Project & Babhali Dam

Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Infrastructure

Why in News?

Recently, the Minister of State for Jal Shakti has provided an update regarding the Lendi major irrigation project and Babhali dam.

Lendi Project

Location – It is an interstate major irrigation project between Maharashtra & Telangana, with headworks in Maharashtra's Nanded district.
Agreement – Signed in 2003, to implement the project as a joint venture.
Purpose – To provide irrigation for 49,000 acres, with 22,000 acres in Telangana and 27,000 acres in Maharashtra.
Status – The project has experienced significant delays, with works being slow to complete, leading to increased costs.
Financing – Maharashtra is responsible for dam and headworks construction, with a payment from Telangana as per the 2003 agreement.
Water allocation – Total water storage capacity is 6.36 Thousand Million Cubic (TMC), with 2.43 TMC allocated to Telangana & remaining 3.93 TMC for Maharashtra.
Overseen by – An Interstate Board for Joint Irrigation Projects was set up to oversee planning and construction.

Babhali dam

Location – It is a controversial reservoir project on the Godavari River in the Nanded district of Maharashtra, approximately 30 km from the Telangana border.
Purpose – Primarily intended to provide drinking water and irrigate around 8,000 hectares of land in Maharashtra's drought-prone Marathwada region.
Capacity – Maharashtra is authorized to store up to 2.74 tmc of water at the barrage for its use.
Dispute – Telangana complained that the barrage would interfere with the water flow to the Sriram Sagar Project (SSP), located downstream in Telangana.
Current status – Gates are now opened and closed by mutual agreement, with the gates opened in July 2024 to ensure downstream water supply.
Regulated by – A Supervisory Committee with officials from the Central Water Commission, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.

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