Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will on Saturday, 25 October 2025, inaugurate the ₹2,387.60 crore Narmada-Jhabua-Petlawad-Thandla-Sardarpur micro-lift irrigation project, bringing pressurised pipeline irrigation to 260 villages across Dhar and Jhabua districts in Madhya Pradesh. The inauguration will take place at the sports complex in Sardarpur, Dhar district, according to an official statement from the Chief Minister's Office.

Scope and Coverage

The project is designed to deliver irrigation water to 57,422 hectares of agricultural land. Of this, 25,422 hectares spanning 66 villages in Sardarpur tehsil of Dhar district will be covered, while the remaining 32,000 hectares across 194 villages in six tehsils of Jhabua district will also benefit. In Jhabua, coverage extends to 108 villages in Jhabua tehsil, six in Petlawad, 28 in Meghnagar, 39 in Thandla, 12 in Rama, and one in Ranapur.

How the System Works

A total of 186.62 million cubic metres of water will be lifted from the Narmada River at Chandankhedi village in Kukshi tehsil, Dhar district. The underground pressurised pipeline network will deliver water at a pressure of 20 metres to agricultural blocks of up to 2.5 hectares each. The system will require 102.30 MW of electricity to operate. According to the Chief Minister's Office, the pressurised supply enables farmers to use both drip and sprinkler irrigation methods, improving water-use efficiency compared with conventional canal or flood irrigation and eliminating the need to level fields.

Background and Political Significance

The foundation of the project was laid in 2018 by the then Chief Minister and current Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Its inauguration by Chief Minister Yadav marks the completion of a multi-year infrastructure effort spanning two administrations of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh. Dhar and Jhabua are tribal-majority districts in western Madhya Pradesh, where access to reliable irrigation has historically been limited, making the project significant for regional agricultural development.

Expected Impact

Officials say the scheme will 'facilitate irrigation in 260 villages of Dhar and Jhabua districts and create opportunities to increase agricultural production,' as per the statement. By shifting to an underground pipeline model, the project also aims to reduce water loss through evaporation and seepage — a persistent challenge with open-canal systems in the region. With pressurised delivery enabling precision irrigation technology at the farm level, smallholder farmers in these districts could see meaningful gains in crop yield and input efficiency. The project's long-term success will depend on sustained electricity supply, farmer training on drip and sprinkler systems, and maintenance of the pipeline network.