Overview
- The state inaugurated the Narmada-Jhabua-Petlawad-Thandla-Sardarpur micro-lift irrigation project on Saturday, October 24, 2026, marking formal commissioning after years of construction and testing.
- Built at a cost of Rs 2,387.60 crore, the system is designed to lift 186.62 million cubic metres of water and deliver it through pressurised underground pipes to 57,422 hectares across 260 villages in Dhar and Jhabua districts.
- The pipeline will supply water at about 20 metres of pressure to enable drip and sprinkler irrigation for roughly 70,000–72,000 farmers and remove the need for field levelling.
- Operation will require about 102.30 megawatts of electricity, a major ongoing cost and operational factor officials will need to manage for steady water delivery.
- At the inauguration the chief minister also transferred Rs 317.86 crore in PMFBY crop-insurance payments, laid and opened additional local development works, and said villages left out of initial coverage would be reviewed for inclusion; the project’s foundation was laid in 2018.