The Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation and Naam Foundation have jointly launched a large-scale canal cleaning and repair campaign for the Pench Multipurpose Project canals in Nagpur district.
The initiative, supported by actors Nana Patekar and Makarand Anaspure, aims to improve irrigation efficiency and water conservation ahead of a predicted low rainfall season due to Super El Niño and IOD conditions.
Officials said the Pench project has a vast canal network of nearly 1,779 km, including main canals, branch canals, distributaries and minor canals, benefiting over one lakh hectares of agricultural land. However, silt accumulation and vegetation growth had reduced water carrying capacity over the years.
Under the campaign, cleaning work on 171 canals covering around 4.10 lakh metres has been planned, benefiting nearly 23,300 hectares of farmland. So far, 46 canals covering 64,000 metres have already been cleaned through machinery provided by Naam Foundation.
The work is being carried out under a Memorandum of Understanding between the irrigation department and Naam Foundation as part of the state government’s water management and conservation efforts. Officials said the campaign will help ensure smoother irrigation supply and reduce water losses.
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