Chhattisgarh starts Rs 119-cr irrigation scheme to cover 4,933 hectares

Construction work on a Rs 119-crore lift irrigation project began on Friday in Jashpur district, the home district of Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai. The project is expected to provide irrigation facilities to more than 4,930 hectares of land spread across 13 villages.

Sai inaugurated the construction of the pressurised lift irrigation system in his native village Bagia, officials said.

The project is being implemented under the Centre’s SAMRIDHI-M-CAD (Modernization of the Command Area Development and Water Management) scheme.

It will provide irrigation support to 4,933 hectares of land covering the villages of Bagia, Uskuti, Rajoti, Sujibahar, Chongribahar, Bansbahar, Dokda, Sikaria, Patratoli, Gahiradohar, Bihabal, Nariyardand and Dhududand.

Addressing a gathering at the event, Sai said the initiative was not merely an irrigation project but a strong symbol of the vision of “more crop per drop”.

He said he was confident that Jashpur district would emerge as a model for modern pressurised irrigation systems in the country and create new opportunities for farmers.

Under the project, an underground pressurised pipeline network will replace the traditional canal system. Officials said the system is expected to reduce water wastage, improve efficiency and remove the need for land acquisition.

Sai said farmers in the area, who are largely dependent on rainfall, would get access to irrigation water throughout the year under the scheme.

He said the Bagia Samriddhi M-CAD project would help modernise irrigation and move agriculture towards a technology-driven, sustainable and profitable system. He added that the project had the potential to establish Jashpur as a model agri-irrigation district at the national level.

The scheme is being implemented in the Bagia cluster of Kunkuri development block through the Bagia Barrage-cum-Pressurised Lift Irrigation Scheme on the Maini river.

Sai said the Bagia cluster is among 34 M-CAD projects approved across 23 states. He said the Centre had sanctioned Rs 95.89 crore for the project, while the total estimated cost stands at around Rs 119 crore.

State agriculture minister Ramvichar Netam and Union minister Tokhan Sahu were also present at the event.

State nodal officer for the scheme, Alok Agrawal, said the M-CAD programme was launched in April 2025 by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Agrawal said the Bagia project is expected to be completed within six months.

He said the contractor would handle operation and maintenance for the first five years, after which the work would be transferred to a Water Users’ Committee that would also include women members.

The project will use technologies including solar-powered electricity, SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) and IoT (Internet of Things) for controlled and scientific water management. Officials said data-driven systems would determine the timing and quantity of water supply for different areas.

Agrawal said the scheme aims to improve water-use efficiency, maximise the use of available water resources, increase agricultural output and support farmers in dealing with climate-related risks through advanced farming practices.