Nagpur: Water from the Navegaon Khairi dam will now flow into Khindsi lake through gravity, eliminating the need for lift irrigation or electricity, thanks to a 7-kilometer-long canal that runs largely underground, announced Minister of State (MoS) Ashish Jaiswal.
Project Details and Cost
Jaiswal stated, 'My dream was that water from Navegaon Khairi dam should reach Khindsi through a natural course. The Rs 426 crore project involved the construction of a six-kilometre tunnel and a one-kilometre aqueduct.' This infrastructure ensures a continuous, energy-efficient water supply.
Storage Capacities and Benefits
According to state government data, Khindsi lake has a storage capacity of 103 lakh cubic metres (LCM), compared to Navegaon Khairi's 180 LCM and Totladoh's approximately 1,166 LCM. 'Earlier, when Navegaon Khairi filled up, surplus water had to be released into the river due to the absence of additional storage. The supplementary canal now channels that water to Khindsi,' explained Jaiswal.
He emphasized that the link would benefit irrigation networks downstream. 'The tail-end sections of the Ramtek branch canal will now receive adequate irrigation water. Khindsi now has a supporting irrigation system. Water can be released from the lake whenever required and replenished at any time of the year. We will not need to wait for the rains,' he said.
Historical Context and Future Plans
Jaiswal recalled first bringing Navegaon Khairi water to Khindsi through a canal in 2005-06. 'If water could be brought through a canal, why not through a tunnel?' he remarked, adding that the project received revised administrative approval during the Nagpur winter session in December 2022.
Looking ahead, Jaiswal said the next phase would involve constructing a high-level outlet canal from Khindsi to extend irrigation to villages such as Mahadula, Panchala, Bhandarbodi, and Shivni. He added that, in the future, water from Totladoh would also reach Khindsi via Navegaon Khairi once power generation begins at Totladoh, along with water from the Gosikhurd project.
