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The Maharashtra government has approved a phased water grid project to combat drought in Marathwada. The project will begin in the first phase at the Jaikwadi dam in the Paithan taluka of Aurangabad. The project has received initial funding of Rs 285 crore from the government. The second phase will focus on other talukas in Aurangabad, with the third phase focusing on dams in the Beed, Osmanabad, Latur, Jalna, Nanded, Hingoli, and Parbhani districts. An official note from the CMO told the media that the project will be implemented in phases, taking into account water availability and demand. Former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis proposed the multi-crore project in 2016. All 11 major dams in eight Marathwada districts will be linked under this plan. The goal is to ensure better and more effective water management to address the region's perennial water crisis. While the state government has approved Rs 285 crore for the first phase of the Marathwada water-grid project, water rights activists and experts have emphasised the importance of ensuring sufficient water availability in the Godavari basin before laying down such a grid. Experts have emphasised the importance of diverting water from west-flowing rivers (that drain into the Arabian Sea) into the Godavari basin first, a project proposed by the previous BJP-led government alongside the water-grid project. Abhijit Dhanorkar, who fought for equitable water distribution in Marathwada in the Supreme Court, said that water from west-flowing rivers should first be brought to the Darna group of dams in Nashik before being channelled to Marathwada. The state cabinet approved Rs 285 for the water-grid project at its meeting on Wednesday, despite speculation that the ambitious project envisioned by the previous BJP-led government would be shelved by the current MVA government. The state cabinet has requested work under the water-grid project only at Paithan in the Aurangabad district, rather than the original plan of interconnecting 11 dams serving Marathwada. Image Source Also read: Jal Jeevan Mission: Maharashtra presents annual action plan for FY22