Palghar: The Deharji Dam project in Palghar has reached an important milestone by achieving 5 per cent water storage capacity and overflow discharge at RL 90.00 meters. Though still under construction, this marks a key step forward in the project’s progress.
The project is supported financially by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), under the leadership of Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister, MMRDA Chairman Eknath Shinde, and MMRDA Commissioner Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee. The dam is being built by KIDC with Rs 1689.42 crore financial aid from MMRDA.
Once completed, Deharji Dam will provide a total of 255 million litres per day (MLD) of drinking water. This will be distributed as follows:
190 MLD for Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC)
50 MLD for CIDCO Palghar Region
15 MLD for Rural en route villages
Currently, the project has achieved 80 per cent physical progress, and around 5.147 million cubic meters (Mcum) of water has already been stored. All required clearances for the project are in place.
An X post shared by MMRDA announced that the Deharji Dam has achieved its first partial water storage milestone. The post also included comments from Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister and MMRDA Chairman Eknath Shinde, and Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee, IAS, Metropolitan Commissioner of MMRDA.
Hon’ble Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said:
"The Deharji Medium Project is a testament to the government’s unwavering commitment to building a water-secure and climate-resilient Maharashtra. This milestone reflects the power of collaborative governance and long-term planning that will directly benefit the people of Palghar and surrounding regions."
Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister & MMRDA Chairman Eknath Shinde stated:
"This milestone is not merely a technical success but a significant advancement in our mission to strengthen Maharashtra’s long-term water infrastructure. MMRDA’s proactive approach, in coordination with state departments and implementing agencies, is accelerating the delivery of critical projects like Deharji that will ensure sustainable water supply for both urban and rural communities."
Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee, IAS, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA, commented:
"Achieving 5% live storage and overflow at Reduced Level 90.00 m marks a major engineering and planning milestone in the Deharji Medium Project. The partial storage has been created up to RL 90.00 m, with a water depth of approximately 23.64 meters from the river bed level, clearly demonstrating the dam’s structural readiness and hydrological functionality. The project will not only meet the rising water demands of Vasai-Virar and Palghar, but also stand as a benchmark for sustainable and scalable water infrastructure development across the state."
