WB loan for Mahanadi basin development

Bhubaneswar, Apr 10 (UNI) Orissa government will sign an agreement with the World Bank next year for a Rs 3555 crore loan assistance for development of Mahanadi Basin.

The project named as Mahanadi Basin Development Plan (MBDP) would be implemented in two phases under the Orissa Water Sector Improvement Project (OWSIP), Engineer-in-Chief Sridhar Behera said.

Mr Behera said the Project Steering Committee headed by Chief Secretary Ajit Tripathy had already cleared the project.

Under the project improvement, modernisation and renovation of 24 canals under Hirakud system, four canals under Mahanadi Delta Stage II and nine medium sub projects would be taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 1440 crore in the first phase.

The plan also envisaged to undertake participatory irrigation management in the command area so that water could reach at the tail end of the canal and flood management by raising and strengthening of river embankments below Naraj.

Mr Behera said the sub projects selected were more than 50 years old and were in dilapidated conditions. It even failed to carry water to tail end.

He said the feasibility report of the project would be completed by September this year and Detailed Project Report Draft would be prepared by October next.

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