Maharashtra is moving swiftly toward becoming both drought- and flood-resilient as the state government accelerates irrigation projects and plans large-scale floodwater diversion schemes. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said sustained investments in water infrastructure are beginning to deliver results across the state.
According to the Chief Minister, most regions of Maharashtra are now well irrigated, with pending work limited to Akola, Buldhana and Hingoli districts, which is expected to be completed soon. In Vidarbha alone, irrigation coverage has reached 13.34 lakh hectares, with only about 49,000 hectares remaining. Major projects such as Jigaon and Gosikhurd are expected to further strengthen irrigation capacity in the region.
A key initiative is the Wainganga–Nalganga river-linking project, estimated at nearly Rs one lakh crore, which aims to bring 4.04 lakh hectares under irrigation. In parallel, the state is planning schemes to divert 30 to 55 TMC of floodwater from flood-prone districts such as Kolhapur and Sangli to drought-affected areas.
“Over 100 TMC water is wasted every year due to floods. Through this project, at least 30 to 35 TMC can be diverted,” Fadnavis said. With approvals progressing and detailed project reports being finalised, the government expects water-deficit regions to transform into productive green belts in the coming years.
