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Gadkari's Plan: Unleash Mine Water for Farmers
15 Nov
Summary
- Mine water could irrigate farms using solar pumps.
- Plan to deepen 6,500 malguzari lakes for water storage.
- Conference planned to discuss mine water usage in December.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has advocated for a significant initiative to address drought conditions in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region by repurposing water accumulated in MOIL and WCL mines for agricultural use. This proposal, presented at the 17th Agrovision Agriculture Exhibition in Nagpur, suggests using solar pumps to channel mine water directly to farmers' fields.
Gadkari called for collaborative efforts to bolster water conservation throughout Vidarbha. He specifically highlighted the need to deepen the region's 6,500 traditional malguzari lakes to enhance water storage capacity. Additionally, he proposed desilting dams to improve their functionality. A key step involves a conference scheduled for December at VNIT, where representatives from MOIL and WCL will convene to deliberate on the mine water utilization plan.
He urged local officials to facilitate discussions between the mining companies and the agriculture sector. Gadkari stressed that these coordinated conservation measures are crucial for making Vidarbha drought-free. The Agrovision exhibition also served as a platform for farmers to learn from successful water conservation examples and knowledge transfer initiatives.
