Cabinet clears stalled Bihar dam project
17th August, 2017Category:
The Union Cabinet has decided to revive the North Koel Reservoir Project, stalled since 1993, and claims it will irrigate over 40,000 hectares in some of the most backward and drought-prone regions in Jharkhand and Bihar. The centre piece of the project, the Mandal dam, will be made smaller than proposed and capacity reduced by up to 85%, to accede to environmental and forest norms. The dam threatened to submerge portions of the Betla National Park and the Palamau Tiger Reserve and in its truncated avatar will cause only minimal submergence of the reserve, according to an official.
The project is situated on the North Koel river. The construction originally began in 1972 and continued till 1993 when it was stopped by the Bihar forest department.
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