- India’s longest water-tunnel Sleemanabad tunnel will be inspected on Friday
- after 17 years of difficult geological challenges, the 11.952 km long tunnel will reach the Narmada water by gravity.
- 1450 villages of 6 districts and 2.45 lakh hectares of land will get permanent irrigation benefits.
One of the most ambitious projects in Madhya Pradesh’s irrigation history, the Sleemanabad water-tunnel has now reached its final stage of completion. Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav will inspect the country’s longest and technically most complex water tunnel in Katni district on Friday. The nearly 12 km long tunnel is a unique engineering achievement of the country which carries the water of Narmada from within the Vindhya range by gravity to the banks of the Son river. With its completion, around 1450 villages of Jabalpur , Katni , Maihar , Satna , Rewa and Panna will get permanent irrigation facilities to 2.45 lakh hectares of land , paving the way for a historic transformation in the agricultural economy of Vindhya and Mahakaushal region.
To add a golden chapter in the development of Madhya Pradesh and irrigate the thirsty land of Vindhya for centuries, Chief Minister Dr. Yadav himself has entered the field as Bhagirath Bunkar. The Sleemanabad Tunnel , the country’s longest and most complex water-tunnel being constructed by the Narmada Valley Development Authority in Katni district , is now nearing completion. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav is reaching Sleemanabad on Thursday. This sensitive and high-level visit of the Chief Minister is not just an administrative inspection , but heralds a new era of prosperity , prosperity and thriving crops in the backyards of lakhs of farmers of Vindhya and Mahakaushal . Chief Minister Dr. On the strength of Yadav’s resolve and unwavering will power, after winning the underground war of seventeen years, Narmada Maia’s dream of landing on Vindhya land is coming true.
- The rise of Bhagirathi Sankalp
This water-tunnel is not a mere mechanical structure made of concrete and stones , but a sacred bridge bridging a mythic divide centuries ago. According to popular belief , the rivers Maa Narmada and Sonbhadra, flowing in opposite directions from the Macal Mountains of Amarkantak, drifted away from each other forever. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav made this tunnel project his dream project to eradicate this ancient rift and irrigate the dry fields of Vindhya. Today, due to the efforts of Bhagirath, Amrit-Dhara from the Vindhya range is waiting to meet directly in Cachar of Son river.
Full credit to the Chief Minister for making this grand project reach its destination. Yadav’s visionary leadership and unprecedented administrative decisions. He understood the importance of this project when he took over and constant personal reviews , quick on-the-spot decisions and constant low-budget support gave a magical pace to this highly complex task. The 11.952 km long mega-tunnel is now almost complete , with only one meter of break-through remaining.
- The impossible has been shown to be possible
Technically breaking the 40 meter high ridge line of Vindhya was a dream for engineers all over the world. The glittering hardness of marble-limestone , the tenacity of dolomite, and the vast subterranean caverns of water-soaked lime barred the way at every step of this great expedition, running about 30 meters below the ground. When the American machine that was working in the east also broke down under severe conditions like 25 thousand liters of boiling water per minute inside the tunnel and sudden sinking soil , then due to the determination of the Chief Minister, the latest German Herrenconnect machine and special tem grouting technology was brought to war level by taking a quick decision. It was the sensitivity of the Madhya Pradesh government that the tunnel was completed safely without any damage despite passing right under the dense population , national highways and railway tracks.
- World class manufacturing technology
M/s Patel-S.E.W., a reputed construction agency of Hyderabad, is entrusted with the task of executing the approved master project on this turn -key basis. (Joint Venture) was assigned to When this huge project was contracted in the year 2008 , its initial cost was Rs 799 crore. However , a total of Rs 1610.47 crore has been spent on it so far due to the unpredictable and extraordinary geographical constraints of the Vindhya subsurface , the special efforts made to prevent unprecedented water leakage and the inclusion of global technology. In this total expenditure, while Rs 772.33 crores have been spent on the original works , Rs 573.71 crores have been spent on value adjustment over time , Rs 123.99 crores on high capacity modern dewatering system , Rs 19.36 crores on construction of vertical shafts and Rs 121.08 crores on chemical grouting for rock stabilization.
- Physical progress should not be accomplished and 100-percent complete:
The happy result of this continuous financial and technical assistance of the government is that today 96.66 percent of the physical work of this entire contract has been successfully completed. Physical construction of 12.135 km long open cut canal and 11.952 km long main historical water tunnel under the project has been completed 100 percent. At the same time , 0.725 km of the 0.913 km canal being constructed using cut and cover technique has been completed and now only nominal work of 0.188 km is left , which is being rapidly extended towards the final target.
- Prosperity in 5 districts of Vindhya and Mahakaushal
This huge water-tunnel is going to be the first such engineering example of the country , where lakhs of cusecs of Narmada water will flow through the 10.14 meter diameter tunnel without any electricity or heavy pumps , only with the help of natural gravity i.e. gravity flow. 2 lakh 45 thousand hectares of land of around 1450 villages of Jabalpur , Katni , Satna , Maihar , Rewa and Panna districts will be permanently irrigated through Bargi right bank main canal . 21 thousand 823 hectares of Katni district , 54 thousand 227 hectares of Maihar district , 1 lakh 4 thousand 970 hectares of Satna district , 3 thousand 84 hectares of Rewa district and 448 hectares of Panna district under its direct command area will get green life.
- Timed roadmap
Chief Minister Dr. Under the guidance of Yadav, the work of all the eight post-tunnel groups is going on with full force. Due to this careful monitoring, till March 2026, the irrigation potential of 44 thousand 160 hectares has started to benefit the farmers. The state government has also prepared a complete roadmap , under which complete system of irrigation will be ensured in 87 thousand 433 hectares by December 2026 and a total of 1 lakh 54 thousand 693 hectares by December 2027. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav’s inspection of a tunnel in Sleemanabad is going to prove to be a historic moment to put the tilak of happiness and prosperity on the head of Vindhya forever.
