In a significant initiative to alleviate water distress in the districts like Mahoba, Hamirpur and Banda and to bring relief to the farmers of the state, the Arjuna Sahayak irrigation project worth Rs 2,655 crore was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
The Megaproject on the river Dhasan will not only provide irrigation facilities to over 1.5 lakh farmers of about 168 villages of Mahoba, Banda and Hamirpur but will also facilitate the provision of clean drinking water (potable water) to over 4 lakh families residing in water-scarce regions.
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The Arjun Sahayak Project will play an important role in benefitting the crop growers along with other projects. The project, which started nearly a decade ago (2009-10), will not only make Bundelkhand green but its operationalisation will also help in irrigation of around 44,382 hectares of land in the districts of Mahoba, Hamirpur and Banda.
Along with this, 15104-hectare irrigation capacity will also be restored. In addition, 20 MCM Drinking Water will also be available to Mahoba from the Kabrai Dam.
The Arjun Sahayak Project, which was started in the year 2009-10 at a cost of Rs 850 crore, was to be completed in the year 2015. However, the completion of the project was delayed but also its cost was increased to Rs.2655.36 crore. The project will benefit nearly 149755 farmers of 168 villages of Mahoba, Hamirpur and Banda.
The Bundelkhand region, for a long, has been facing acute water shortage where most wells and hand-pumps have dried up due to decreasing groundwater levels. The residents in the drought-prone regions were forced to buy basic necessities such as drinking water.
To realise its vision of providing water to every needy through ‘Per Drop, More Crop’ and ‘Har Khet Ko Paani’, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has worked in a planned and phased manner since it gained power in the state.
The government not only began with proper and timely allocation of funds but also through regular monitoring of these projects the work has been completed in a time-bound manner.
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In view of solving the water crisis in such regions, the government completed the Rasin Dam Project (Chitrakoot) Bandai Dam Project (Lalitpur) between March 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021. These irrigated additional land of 2290 and 3025 hectares in the respective districts. Electricity is also being generated from a 2.50 capacity solar plant at the top of the Pump Canal (Lalitpur). In the coming days, projects like Kulpahar and Shahzad of Bundelkhand will serve as a model for the state. These are being connected to the sprinkler system. With this, more irrigation will be done in less water and the yield will also increase.
The PM also launched the following projects –
-Ratauli Weir Project at a cost of Rs 54.28 crore will create 1050 hectare irrigation capacity in Mahoba district.
-Bhaoni Dam Project to create irrigation capacity of 3800 hectares in Lalitpur district at a cost of Rs. 512.74 crores.
-Majhgaon-Chilli Sprinkler Project to create 600 hectares of irrigation capacity in Hamirpur at a cost of Rs 18.24 crore.