Gargai Dam project faces Delay over pending land for afforestation

Gargai Dam is proposed to be set up at Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary. FILE PIC

Out of the 658 hectares of land required for compensatory afforestation for the Gargai Dam project, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is yet to acquire 68 hectares. The civic body has so far identified 590 hectares in the districts of Chandrapur, Washim, and Hingoli.

While work on the project has now started, BMC has to identify the remaining land within the next six months. About eight months have been reserved to get the remaining permissions for the project, including from the National Wildlife Board and forest permissions.

The Gargai Dam Project has been planned in the Palghar district's Wada Taluka. Once completed, with a deadline of 2030, the dam will add 440 million litres of water to Mumbai's existing water availability of 14.47 lakh million litres from the seven lakes.

Where is the land located?

This is non-forested land, integrated with the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve. An official explained that the point of afforestation on this land is to increase the forest cover and expand it outward. The additional land is likely available in Hingoli as an extra land parcel near tiger reserve.

Official Speak

An official associated with the project told mid-day, "The remaining 68 hectares of land for afforestation are likely to be acquired in Hingoli and can be congruous with the land we have already acquired in the area. This adjoins the Tadoba Tiger Reserve and will be the largest land parcel among the three weeks in Chandrapur, Washim, and Hingoli."

Land identified and acquired

>> Chandrapur district: 253 hectares
>> Washim district: 125 hectares
>> Hingoli district: 212 hectares + an additional land parcel of 68 hectares likely to be acquired.

Impact of the project

>> The dam will submerge over 800 hectares of the Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary.
>> It displaces two villages, Ogda and Khodade, in the Wada taluka of the Palghar district.
>> The project is set to affect 619 families, with plans to resettle them in 400 hectares of land near Deoli.
>> BMC will also acquire land from four adjacent villages - Pachghar, Aamle, Phasgaon, and Tilmal - to make the entire catchment area free of human habitation and congruent with the existing Tansa wildlife sanctuary.

2030
Deadline to complete the project