TFP Bureau, Raipur, November 14, 2025: The 33rd meeting of the Chhattisgarh Irrigation Project Board, and the first under the current government, was held at the Secretariat Mahanadi Bhawan under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai. The session featured extensive deliberations on expanding the state’s irrigation capacity, improving groundwater levels and strengthening urban drinking water supply systems. Fourteen new irrigation and water augmentation projects received in-principle approval during the meeting.
The Chief Minister said the government’s foremost priority is to increase farmers’ income and agricultural productivity, adding that the irrigation network is being rapidly expanded to support this goal. He said that enlarging the irrigation command area will not only enhance farm output but also contribute to groundwater recharge and improve drinking water availability across the state.
Discussions also centred on extending irrigation facilities to the plains as well as to the regions of Surguja and Bastar. The Chief Minister reviewed the scope, estimated cost and projected benefits of each proposed project and directed officials to expedite their implementation to ensure balanced development statewide.
The newly approved projects are expected to add nearly one lakh hectares of additional irrigation capacity. These include the Deurgaon Barrage-cum-Lift Irrigation Project and the Matnar Barrage-cum-Lift Irrigation Project in Bastar; the Mohmela Sirpur Barrage Scheme on the Mahanadi in Arang block of Raipur district; the Ahiran to Gajrinala water augmentation (Kharang Ahiran Link Project); and the Chhapratola Feeder Reservoir Project in Kota block of Bilaspur district.
Other approved works include the pipeline from Samoda Barrage to Kumhari Reservoir under the Kumhari Reservoir Water Capacity Augmentation Scheme; the Sahagaon Lift Irrigation Scheme in Dhamdha block of Durg district; construction of the Lamti Feeder Reservoir and canals in Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai district; and the drinking water pipeline system from Chowki Anicut to Mohra Anicut in Rajnandgaon district.
Projects such as the Bagiya Barrage-cum-Pressurised Lift Irrigation Scheme in Jashpur, the Parasahi Pressurised Lift Irrigation Project under the Hasdeo Bango Project in Janjgir-Champa, the Madwarani Barrage Construction-cum-Lift Irrigation Scheme in Korba, the Sikasar Reservoir to Kodar Reservoir Link Canal (pipeline) under the Pairi Project in Gariaband and the Lift Feeder Irrigation Scheme from the Paraghat Diversion Scheme for augmenting the Left Bank Canal of the Kharang Reservoir in Bilaspur district also received the board’s approval.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Arun Saw, Agriculture Minister Ramvichar Netam, Finance Minister O.P. Choudhary, Chief Secretary Vikas Sheel, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Subodh Kumar Singh, Energy Department Secretary Rohit Yadav, Secretary to the Chief Minister Mukesh Kumar Bansal, Water Resources Department Secretary Rajesh Sukumar Toppo, Chief Engineer Indrajit Uikey and senior officials of the Water Resources Department.
