The next monsoon could well turn out different for villages and districts along the proposed Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway, what with the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) having proposed a system of rainwater harvesting on the median of the Expressway on select stretches.
MSRDC said that wherever the terrain was favourable, it would have provision of underground water wells on the alignment where thick rainfall was recorded. The corporation aimed that farmers having agricultural land in nearby villages could use the water harvested on the proposed Expressway.
The Expressway will pass through 350 villages across 27 talukas and 10 major districts where harvested water could be used. “The state environment department had asked to have provisions for rain water harvesting on the proposed Expressway. Subsequently, we have asked the consultants preparing feasibility report of the project to identify spots where under water wells or provisions for collecting rainwater can be constructed,” said Kiran Kurundkar, joint managing director, MSRDC.
However, MSRDC officials said that how much water could be stored or saved due to rainwater harvesting was something that could be identified only after the feasibility report was prepared. “If rainwater is harvested effectively, it could help population in villages largely dependent on farming during the tough times of drought-like situation in the state,” added Mr Kurundkar.
The MSRDC is currently in the process of preparing the detailed project report for the project. The state government has already sanctioned Rs 12,000 crore, with a break up of Rs 500 crore each for development of 24 townships with Wi-Fi and IT hubs with solar panels along the Expressway.
Besides, the MSRDC is also planning to have a natural gas pipeline and solar panels on the median or on the sideways of the proposed alignment of the Expressway along with ‘road runway’ where, during emergencies and natural disasters like flooding, earthquake and war-like situations, combat jets of the Indian Air Force can have a safe landing.
