Bansagar Crisis Resolved with Intervention of Sushri Uma Bharti On the request of Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan has ordered release of water from Bansagar Dam in Madhya Pradesh to Uttar Pradesh. This has resolved the water supply crisis which had arisen due to earlier refusal of Madhya Pradesh to release water to Uttar Pradesh from Bansagar dam on the grounds of non-release of share of O&M funds by Uttar Pradesh to Madhya Pradesh. It may be recalled that Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti had called a meeting of the Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Madhya Pradesh (MP) on May 21, 2015 in New Delhi to discuss the issue of supply of water to UP from Bansagar dam. The MP Government had earlier refused to release the desired water on the ground that UP had not agreed to share the operation and maintenance expenses of Bansagar dam hence they have not stored the due share of water of UP in Bansagar dam. UP Government has refuted this claim of MP. Accordingly, a Committee under Chairman, CWC had been constituted to examine the issue in consultation with all party States. Bansagar Project has been constructed as per the agreement reached between the Governments of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on the September 16, 1973 for sharing the waters of River Sone and the cost of the Bansagar Dam. The Project which became operational in 2005, envisages annual irrigation of 2.49 lakh hectare in M.P. (in the districts of Rewa, Sidhi, Satna and Shahdol); 1.5 lakh hectare in U.P.(in the districts of Mirjapur and Allahabad); 0.94 lakh hectare in Bihar towards stabilizing irrigation through old Sone Canal system and 425 MW hydropower in Madhya Pradesh. ST/jk
