Water Resources Minister Inspects Dewas Project

Government Focused on Water Management; Third and Fourth Phases to be Fast-Tracked – Suresh Rawat

Udaipur, May 30: Rajasthan’s Water Resources Minister Shri Suresh Rawat conducted an inspection of the Dewas Project on Friday, reviewing the progress of its third and fourth phases. During the visit, the minister emphasized the government’s commitment to water management and instructed officials to expedite the execution of pending works.

While on tour in Udaipur district, Minister Rawat visited Nathiyathal village, the proposed dam site under Phase III of the Dewas Project. He personally reviewed the site and received a detailed briefing from departmental officials based on the project’s blueprint. They informed him that the proposed dam will have a catchment area of 79.06 sq. km, a storage capacity of 70 MCFT, and an outflow capacity of 1,330 cubic meters per second for surplus water.

Rawat reiterated that the Rajasthan government is taking decisive steps towards effective water management, with initiatives like the Ramjal Setu Project, Yamuna Water Agreement, and the Dewas Project serving as key examples. He directed that pre-construction works of the third and fourth phases be completed swiftly to begin actual construction of water infrastructure on ground.

During the inspection, he was accompanied by Udaipur Rural MLA Phool Singh Meena, social worker Gajpal Singh, Chief Engineer of Banswara Ajay Tyagi, Additional Chief Engineer (Udaipur) Virendra Singh Sagar, Superintending Engineer Manoj Jain, Executive Engineer Birbal Dudi, along with representatives of DBL and Mega Engineering companies.

Project Foundation Laid by Chief Minister

The Dewas Project plays a crucial role in supplying drinking water to Udaipur city and maintaining water levels in Pichola and Fatehsagar lakes. The project’s first phase was completed in 1973–74, followed by Dewas II in 2011, which included the construction of the Akodara Dam.

The foundation stone of Dewas III and IV was laid by Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma on March 1, 2024. The combined cost of these two phases exceeds ₹1,690 crore, involving the construction of two new dams—one near Nathiyathal village (Dewas III) and another in Ambawa village (Dewas IV)—along with tunnels. The goal is to channel approximately 1,000 million cubic feet of water to Udaipur’s iconic lakes.