The Damanganga - Pinjal link

The detailed project report (DPR) of the Damanganga-Pinjal link, a project to share water of two river basins across Maharashtra and Gujarat is likely to be ready by the end of this year. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) central region, one of the agencies involved in the project, has begun geological studies for constructing dams and tunnels to connect the two rivers. GSI has already completed the surface mapping for the two dams and tunnels involved. Though GSI had done the feasibility study for the project from 1997-2003, a formal agreement between chief ministers Ashok Chavan and Narendra Modi was signed only in May last year. Since then, the first phase of work has been completed by the GSI. The director and head of engineering geology department M P Srivastava said they would begin the drilling work soon for assessment of rock types for dam and tunnel constructions. The other agencies involved in the project like the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) and the Central Water Commission (CWC) are also doing their jobs simultaneously. Work on the project was halted for six-eight months due to localproblems at some sites but the issues have been resolved now. However, construction of two tunnels from two dams may take anything between five-seven years after the report is read. “It is basically a trans-valley diversion project aimed at transporting 1,000 million cubic metres water from the Damanganga basin in Valsad in Gujarat to Pinjal basin through the Vaitarna basin in Nashik. From there, the water will go to Greater Mumbai by taking it to Tansa river. It is to meet the drinking water demand of Mumbai city by 2020. Along with it, there is another project Par-Tapti-Narmada link that would take water from Maharashtra to Gujarat,” said I K Mishra, the NWDA executive engineer based in Nashik. The geological study work for the Par-Tapti-Narmada link is being done by GSI (western region) headquartered in Jaipur. Besides providing drinking water for Mumbai, the project also includes a large number of irrigation facilities. The 16.85-km-long first tunnel from the Damanganga dam will take water from the dam to Vagh river near Nashik while the 25.5-km-long second tunnel will take water from the Vagh dam to Khargi hill. GSI Nagpur has identified one landslide-affected zone in the Bhugad reservoir. The project authority NWDA is yet to complete the demarcation of ‘full reservoir level’ in Bhugad and Khargi hill sites which is necessary for zonation mapping. Srivastava said that for making the tunnels geologists have to thoroughly study the entire path to identify shear or weak zones. The Damanganga-Pinjal is one of the 30 link projects, including 16 inter-basin links, planned in peninsular India and three in central India. It involves construction of a 72.27-metre-high dam across the Damanganga near Bhugad, a 79.82-metre-high dam across the Vagh near Behadpada, and another 70-metre dam across the Pinjal near Khidse. The first two dams will be constructed by the agencies chosen by the NWDA and CWC while the Pinjal dam will be made by the Maharashtra government.