The Maharashtra cabinet on 22 February, 2023 approved the revised cost outlay of Rs 5,177.38 crore for Upper Pravara (Nilwande) irrigation project in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. Once completed, the project is expected to benefit farmers in 182 villages by bringing 68,000 hectares of land under irrigation.

The project entails the construction of a 97 km right bank canal and an 85 km left bank canal to channelise dam water on Pravara river. This will help to productively utilise and irrigate the farm fields across Akole, Sangamner, Rahata, Srirampur and Kopergaon talukas in Ahmednagar district and Sinnar in Nashik district. Additionally, it will cater to the drinking water requirements of the area.

Work is underway wherein the right bank canal and the left bank canal are completed to the extent of 70 and 85 percent respectively.

The Nilwande dam project was conceived in 1995 with the objective of streamlining the water overflowing from the Bhandardhara reservoir during monsoon. The first phase of the project was completed in 2011.

The project has gone through several revisions since then, and under the new guidelines it is set for completion by 2027.