Wainganga-Nalganga Link: Will This Mega Canal Revive Vidarbha Farms?

thenewsdirt
Jul 3
8 min read

Vidarbha’s farmers have long struggled under the weight of repeated droughts and failed harvests. Now, the Maharashtra government has unveiled a massive river-linking plan intended to carry water from one basin to another and transform agriculture in the region.

The Wainganga–Nalganga Interlinking Project is an ambitious scheme to lift water from the Wainganga River (a tributary of the Godavari) and channel it into the Nalganga basin (part of the Tapi system).

The goal is to irrigate hundreds of thousands of hectares of once-barren farmland. Critics say the scale is daunting, but officials insist it will be a lifeline for dry districts.

Project Blueprint and Scale

The Wainganga–Nalganga project aims to span roughly 426–427 kilometres of canals, pipelines and lift-irrigation structures.

Water will be drawn from the Gosikhurd Dam on the Wainganga in Bhandara district and lifted over hilly terrain towards the Nalganga in Buldhana district.

In practical terms, the plan envisions constructing a network that ties together multiple existing reservoirs (Gosikhurd, Lower Wardha, Katepurna and Nalganga) with dozens of new storages.

In fact, officials say the project will ultimately comprise about 41 dams, including the 10 already on hand, with 31 new reservoirs to be built. Together, these have a storage capacity of about 1,772 million cubic metres of water.

The primary purpose of this is irrigation. Government estimates indicate the linking scheme could irrigate roughly 3.7–3.75 lakh hectares of farmland across six districts of Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Yavatmal, Akola and Buldhana in Vidarbha.

For comparison, this would cover well over half a million acres, bringing once parched fields into reliable production. State ministers note that the system would allow farmers to cultivate both the kharif and rabi crops by providing off-season water. In addition to agriculture, the canal network is designed to supply drinking water to villages and water for local industries in this drought-prone belt.

Maharashtra’s cabinet formally approved the plan in August 2024, endorsing an estimated ₹87,342 crore (roughly ₹87,000 crore) budget. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hailed the scheme as a “landmark step toward efficient water resource management”. The first phase alone, a detailed survey and design stage, has already been funded with over ₹1,232 crore.

In sum, officials describe the project as a massive infrastructure undertaking, likening it to a “water lifeline” for Vidarbha.

As Fadnavis put it, the linking network promises to “provide irrigation facilities to farmers” across water-scarce areas.

Despite its promise, the scheme is unprecedented in scale for the region. It would cover 15 administrative blocks (talukas) spread across the six districts of Vidarbha, and divert waters over hundreds of kilometres.

To put it in perspective, this single project surpasses the combined scope of all past projects by the local irrigation authority (Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation). Such breadth has invited both hope and scrutiny.

Proponents stress the long-neglected irrigation backlog in Vidarbha, a region long known for water shortages, while others question the environmental and social cost of so many new dams and canals.

Implementation Status and Timeline

After years in planning, the Wainganga–Nalganga link moved into action in late 2024. The new state government has put the scheme back on the agenda.

In July 2024, the project received in-principle approval from the Governor and water regulators, and a month later, the cabinet cleared the final proposal with the ₹87,000 crore price tag. By early 2025, work orders were issued and funds released for surveys and detailed engineering.

According to government statements in March 2025, the project has entered the survey and investigation phase, expected to run until 2027. A Nagpur-based firm was awarded the DPR (Detailed Project Report) contract, and physical surveys of the terrain are underway.

In late 2024, water resources officials held meetings and online consultations on the canal alignment and design. One change under review is whether to replace some planned open canals with piped systems to reduce land acquisition. Meanwhile, the Water Resources Department has said it plans to complete necessary clearances within a year, from the environment and forest authorities as well as the Central Water Commission.

Once the detailed plan is finalised, actual construction of dams and canals is slated to span about eight to ten years. In total, officials expect to finish the job roughly a decade from the survey’s start (i.e. around the mid-2030s).

As of mid-2025, the project is still in preparatory stages. The government notes that full administrative approval has been secured and preliminary work has begun. By the end of January 2025, official work orders were signed and land surveys commenced.

On the ground, local engineers and activists say tangible activity is finally picking up after years of delay. Avinash Kale, a veteran farmer and activist in the region, notes that people are watching the project roll out. Kale said that continued postponement was starting to feel like a denial of farmers’ rights.

He and others had compiled detailed estimates (with NWDA engineers) of the project’s gains, but lamented that “nothing has been done on ground” since the DPR was drafted in 2018. Now that tenders are being floated, he hopes some parts of the work will finally break ground.

Impact on Vidarbha’s Farmers

A Dam Depicting the Wainganga–Nalganga link — Impact on Vidarbha’s Farmers

If the Wainganga–Nalganga link is carried through as planned, its effects on Vidarbha’s agricultural landscape would be dramatic.

The most direct benefit would be vastly expanded irrigation. At present, large areas of Vidarbha lie outside any canal command and depend on monsoon rain or small wells. The linking project aims to transform that.

The government estimates that 371,277 hectares of previously unirrigated land will be watered.

That means fields currently fallow or watered only one season could see reliable double cropping. As an official put it during a legislative session: “This is a step towards eliminating water scarcity in Vidarbha, ensuring water supply for irrigation, meeting drinking water demand, and providing water for industries”.

In concrete terms, analysts predict farmers might harvest nearly 6 million quintals of crops per year more once the full scheme is online.

Greater irrigation will also allow planting of more lucrative or high-yield crops. Under the present system, many farmers stick to low-input crops or leave fields dry in the rabi season for lack of water. With canal water, they can diversify.

Local industry and agro-processing may also benefit. By guaranteeing additional water to factories and mills, the scheme could spur some investment. State documents cite an industrial water supply worth 397 million cubic metres annually as one output of the project. Fisheries (pisciculture) is another potential gain: more permanent reservoirs and canals mean year-round ponds for fish farmers, a feature highlighted by project planners.

One analysis even envisaged solar power units on canal banks and reservoirs (roughly 1,184 MW) to help meet energy needs, tying renewable energy into the scheme.

Beyond raw numbers, the project carries important symbolic weight in drought-prone Vidarbha. The region has suffered waves of crop failures and farmer distress linked to lack of water.

Vast reservoirs whose water is shared with Maharashtra’s western regions have long existed, but irrigated acreage in Vidarbha remained low. By explicitly targeting east–west transfer, the linking scheme is meant as a corrective.

Agriculture experts note that Vidarbha’s eastern districts average around 1,000 mm of rain, but western Vidarbha gets even less. Ensuring water in these dry months could significantly improve yields of cotton, tur and pulses, which are vital to local farm incomes.

That is the hopeful scenario. However, stakeholders note several challenges and caveats. The sheer cost and complexity are one concern.

At ₹87,000 crore, the project is among the costliest ever proposed in the state. Critics ask if smaller-scale solutions or groundwater recharge should be pursued first.

Engineering such a long canal and multiple lifts is no small feat, and cost overruns could ensue.

Indeed, Vidarbha has seen massive irrigation projects falter in the past, most notoriously the Gosikhurd dam itself, where decades of construction have yet to deliver the promised canals, and costs have ballooned many times the original estimate.

Another major issue is land and village submergence. Officials acknowledge that reservoirs and channels will inundate dozens of villages. According to the project report, some 109 villages will be affected (26 fully submerged and 83 partially).

Thousands of residents, many of them from tribal communities, will need to be relocated. Resettlement and fair compensation are sensitive matters, and activists say careful planning is needed to honour those rights.

Critics warn that the history of large projects in Vidarbha includes many cases of promised rehabilitation being delayed or denied.

Environmental impact is also hotly debated. The Wainganga valley is home to some of Maharashtra’s richest forests and wildlife, including major tiger corridors around Kanha, Pench and Tadoba reserves.

Conservationists worry that diverting vast volumes of water could change river ecology and groundwater levels. Damming tributaries often floods forest areas and can fragment habitats.

Experts have noted that over 55% of Maharashtra’s forests lie in the Wainganga basin, and that river provides crucial dry-season flows through sanctuaries.

149 dams already block the Wainganga, and plans for many more raise questions about the cumulative toll on this ecosystem.

Project planners counter that most canals will follow already-cleared land and existing reservoirs, but environmental review and safeguards will be critical.

The project also raises inter-regional water politics issues. While this link is intra-state, it effectively transfers water from the Godavari basin to the Tapi basin, a decision that requires central clearance under water-sharing rules.

Officials must ensure that downstream users of the Godavari (including other states) will not be harmed. Early steps, like obtaining the Water Resources Regulatory Authority’s permission, have already been taken. Still, water activists often cite the need for robust impact assessments and public consultation, even beyond the usual environment ministry clearances.

Vidarbha’s farmers themselves have voiced both eagerness and caution. Many support the project as long-overdue help.

A farmer in Wardha district says that even a trickle of canal water would vastly improve yields compared to relying on erratic rain. “We’ve seen years where cotton failed for want of water; this scheme could change that,”.

Others, however, fear that benefits may take too long. Some grassroots organisations in Nagpur and Akola note that past projects promised quick relief but dragged on. They urge authorities to ensure transparency and speed.

Economists note that the project’s success will depend on actual execution. If canals are finished on time and farmers get water, the boost to rural incomes could be substantial. For example, the projected output gain of nearly 6 million quintals would represent a major increase in food and fodder production, potentially transforming local markets. But if delays occur or promised water is diverted, disillusionment could follow.

The political stakes are high. A successful outcome could become a model for inter-basin transfers in India, while a setback might reinforce scepticism about megaprojects.

The Wainganga–Nalganga link is a high-stakes gamble for Vidarbha. It offers the promise of ending perennial droughts by literally rerouting water to where it is needed most.

Yet it also brings risks of displacing communities and straining fragile ecosystems. For now, farmers will be watching the concrete work and canals with hopeful eyes.

As local activist Avinash Kale noted, the real test will be when “the project is completed and water actually reaches the parched fields of Vidarbha”.

Only time will tell if this vast engineering scheme can fulfil its pledge and truly turn Vidarbha’s fields green again.