India

Gadkari Urges Use of Mine Water to Alleviate Vidarbha Drought

By PTI

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari called for collective action to conserve water in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region and suggested that water from Manganese Ore India (MOIL) and WCL mines be supplied to farmers for irrigation. Speaking at the 17th Agrovision Agriculture Exhibition in Nagpur, he said the event would showcase successful water‑conservation and groundwater‑recharge projects from drought‑affected areas of the state. He added that farmers could learn from these examples and replicate similar experiments on their own farms and villages. As chief patron of Agrovision, Gadkari emphasized the need for district‑wide efforts to make Vidarbha drought‑free and expand irrigation.

Gadkari explained that after excavation, mines owned by MOIL and WCL accumulate water. He urged State Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule to invite representatives of the two companies to a major conference at VNIT in December to discuss supplying mine water to farmers using solar pumps. A paper on this topic has already been prepared.

He also noted that Vidarbha has 6,500 malguzari lakes, which could be deepened to increase water use, and that clearing silt from dams would enhance their capacity.

During a press conference, Gadkari spoke about the Mankar Trust, which employs 1,600 teachers to work with 40,000 tribal students. He said the trust has been active for 25 years and that he has worked on water issues for 26 years. He dismissed rumors of his retirement, saying he will continue his work while encouraging younger people to take up the cause.

The article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to the text.