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Journalism of Courage
— Abhinav Rai
(The Indian Express has launched a new series of articles for UPSC aspirants written by seasoned writers and scholars on issues and concepts spanning History, Polity, International Relations, Art, Culture and Heritage, Environment, Geography, Science and Technology, and so on. Read and reflect with subject experts and boost your chance of cracking the much-coveted UPSC CSE. In the following article, Abhinav Rai, a Doctoral researcher working on the impact of climate change on glacier dynamics in the Himalayan Region, analyses the project of river interlinking, its benefits and drawbacks.)
India is home to 17% of the world’s population but has access to only 4% of the world’s freshwater resources, and these water resources are unevenly distributed across the country. In this context, the river interlinking project is an ambitious initiative designed to tackle the challenges posed by topography, climate, natural disasters, and the unequal distribution of water resources.
But when and how did the idea of interlinking rivers first emerge, and how do the river interlinking projects aim to improve irrigation, flood control, and water supply?
River interlinking is a large-scale water management strategy involving human-induced water redistribution from surplus water areas to areas experiencing shortages. The strategy involves connecting two or more basins through a network of canals, reservoirs, pipelines, etc. These inter-basin water transfer (IBWT) projects aim to enhance irrigation potential and flood control and improve water supply in drought-prone areas.
The idea of interlinking rivers goes back to 1858 when Captain Arthur Cotton, a British Army engineer, first proposed linking rivers through canals, mainly for inland navigation. Dr K.L. Rao proposed the ‘Ganga-Cauvery Link Canal’ post-independence in 1972. In 1977, Captain Dinshaw J. Dastur proposed a “National Garland Canal” scheme.
The inter-basin water transfer will change the river morphology and also have an impact on the physical and chemical composition of the sediment load.
However, the government considered both proposals to be not feasible for techno-economic reasons. In 1980, the Ministry of Irrigation (Now the Ministry of Water Resources) framed the National Perspective Plan (NPP) for inter-basin water transfer. The plan identified 30 link projects divided into two components:14 Himalayan and 16 Peninsular link projects.
Subsequently, in 1982, The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) was set up to study and implement river interlinking projects. In 2002, in response to a Public Interest Litigation or PIL, the Supreme Court ordered the government to complete all river links within 12 years, bringing the issue to the forefront of political and legislative discussions.
On December 25, 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) in Madhya Pradesh’s Khajuraho. The project aims to provide irrigation to Bundelkhand, one of India’s most drought-affected regions. In this project, surplus water from the Ken River in Madhya Pradesh will be transferred to the Betwa River in Uttar Pradesh. Both of these rivers are right-bank tributaries of the Yamuna River.
The Union Cabinet had approved Rs 44,605 crore for this project. The KBLP has two phases. The Daudhan Dam complex, Ken-Betwa Link Canal (length 221 km), and its subsidiary units will be built in the first phase. Phase II will have three components: the Lower Orr Dam construction, the Bina Complex Project, and the Kotha Barrage.
The project will irrigate 10.62 lakh hectares (8.11 lakh ha in MP and 2.51 lakh ha in UP) of land annually and supply drinking water to about 62 lakh people. This project will generate 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar energy. The project passes through Panna Tiger Reserve. There are concerns about the submergence of a part of this critical tiger habitat. KBLP is the first project under the National Perspective Plan that is currently being implemented.
The river interlinking is seen as addressing the problem of water distress in agriculture, regional imbalances in water availability, and alleviating the impact of flood and drought. Indian agriculture is heavily dependent on monsoonal rainfall, which can sometimes be uncertain and spatially unevenly distributed. The uncertainty in rainfall characterised by prolonged dry spells and fluctuations in seasonal and annual rainfall are major concerns for farmers and the government.
The scheme aims to transfer about 200 billion Cubic Meters (BCM) of water annually from water-rich to drought-prone regions. It will irrigate 34 million hectares of agricultural land and generate 34,000 MW of substantial hydropower. It will ensure continuous and reliable water supply for irrigation, which can hugely increase the country’s agricultural productivity and foodgrain production.
Additionally, interlinking projects will lead to equitable access to water resources for drinking and industrial uses by reducing regional imbalances in current water availability. They will also help mitigate floods’ impacts by storing excess water in reservoirs. Simultaneously, this stored water can be used to provide relief during droughts. Equitable and reliable water supply will also support industries and help in employment generation.
The NWDA has conducted studies that suggest the water redistribution scheme is technically feasible. However, the feasibility of a river interlinking plan is a complex issue and depends upon various technical, environmental, economic and social factors. The inter-basin water transfer will change the river morphology and also have an impact on the physical and chemical composition of the sediment load. Subsequently, it will also affect the water quality and ecosystem of the region.
Moreover, the large-scale diversion of river water can disrupt the river’s natural ecosystem and affect the habitat of the various species. Water transfer may also disturb the inter-relationship between rivers and climatic attributes such as temperature, precipitation and Humidity. Canals and reservoirs can alter the migratory routes of fish and other species, which, as a result, will decline, eventually leading to biodiversity loss.
The construction of canals and reservoirs will cause significant social disruptions mainly due to the mass displacement of populations. Their rehabilitation and resettlement will be major challenges. Water is a state subject, and some conflicts exist among states regarding water-sharing-related issues. So, cooperation from the concerned states will also be needed.
Moreover, these projects are excessively expensive and may even surpass their initial cost estimates. Their implementation will burden the country’s economy. Also, such large-scale projects often suffer from time and cost overruns, diminishing their economic viability. Apart from economic viability, such large projects also raise social and environmental concerns.
Therefore, the economic feasibility of these large-scale projects needs to be assessed against more cost-effective, sustainable, and environment-friendly alternatives such as rainwater harvesting, local water conservation, and efficient irrigation. It may be more suitable to explore such localised solutions alongside these large-scale projects to identify the best fit for the specific region, with climate resilience planning.
What is the river interlinking project, and what challenges does it aim to address? When did the idea of interlinking rivers first emerge, and who proposed it?
How do river interlinking projects aim to improve irrigation and water supply in drought-prone areas, and contribute to flood control?
How will inter-basin water transfer affect river morphology and the physical and chemical composition of sediment load?
What are the technical, environmental, economic, and social factors that affect the feasibility of the river interlinking project?
Can localised solutions like rainwater harvesting and efficient irrigation complement large-scale water projects?
(Abhinav Rai is a Doctoral candidate at the Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi.)
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