Interlinking of Rivers in India – Advantages & Challenges – Explained Pointwise

Recently, Union Home Minister Amit Shah proposed linking major rivers from the Brahmaputra to the Godavari and Cauvery at the Southern Zonal Council meeting. He argued this could prevent water shortages for 100 years, create waterways, and reduce fuel costs . He also urged southern states to resolve water disputes through dialogue.

What is the National River Linking Project (NRLP)?

• The National River Linking Project (NRLP), formerly known as the National Perspective Plan (formulated in 1980), is an ambitious Government of India initiative to transfer water from relatively water-surplus river basins to water-deficit regions through a network of dams, reservoirs, canals and other water-transfer structures.
• It proposes to connect 14 Himalayan and 16 peninsular rivers with 30 canals and 3,000 reservoirs to form a gigantic South Asian Water Grid. In total, 30 interlinking projects have been identified under the project.
• The initial plan to interlink India’s rivers came in 1858 from a British irrigation engineer, Sir Arthur Thomas Cotton.
• NRLP includes two components:
  

  Himalayan component	This component aims to construct storage reservoirs on the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers, as well as their tributaries in India and Nepal. It includes 14 links. It will connect: The Ganga and Brahmaputra basins to the Mahanadi basin. The Eastern tributaries of the Ganga with the Sabarmati and Chambal river systems.
  Peninsular component	It includes 16 links that propose to connect the rivers of South India. It envisages linking: The Mahanadi and Godavari to feed the Krishna, Pennar, Cauvery, and Vaigai rivers The Ken river to the Betwa, Parbati, Kalisindh, and Chambal rivers West-flowing rivers to the south of Tapi to the north of Bombay Linking some west-flowing rivers to east-flowing rivers.

• The NRLP is managed by National Water Development Agency (NWDA) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. NWDA was set up in 1982, to conduct surveys and see how feasible proposals for interlinking river projects are. Recently, it has been reported that the Centre is deliberating on creation of a National River Interlinking Authority (NIRA). It will have powers to set up SPV for individual link projects.
• As of August 2026, the Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) is the only one that has entered the implementation stage.
• Previous examples of river-linking in India: In the past, several river linking projects have been taken up. For instance:
  1. Periyar-Vaigai Project: Under the Periyar Project, transfer of water from Periyar basin to Vaigai basin was envisaged. It was commissioned in 1895.
  2. Godavari-Krishna Link: Godavari River has also been formally interlinked with the Krishna River at Ibrahimpatnam (near Vijayawada) in Andhra Pradesh in September 2015.

What are the advantages of Interlinking of Rivers?

1. Addressing the Hydrological Imbalance of India (Drought and Flood Mitigation): India has a large-scale hydrological imbalance with an effective rainfall period of 28 to 29 days. Some regions receive very high rainfall while some face droughts. Transfers water from flood-prone basins (Brahmaputra, Ganga tributaries in Bihar/Assam) to drought-prone peninsular basins, offering a dual solution to two recurring disasters.
2. Improvement of inland waterways: Interlinking of rivers will create a network of navigation channels for the growth and development of inland waterways in India. Expanding canal networks can create interconnected, eco-friendly inland shipping routes for bulk cargo, reducing logistics costs and highway congestion and supporting the broader push under the Jal Marg Vikas Yojana.
3. Aiding irrigation potential: The interlinking of rivers has the potential to irrigate around 35 million hectares of land in the water-scarce western peninsula. This will help in reducing the dependence on monsoon variability, stabilizing farmer incomes and cropping intensity, especially in drought-prone Bundelkhand, Marathwada, and Rayalaseema. For e.g. The Ken-Betwa project alone is expected to irrigate approximately 10.62 lakh hectares of farmland annually. 
4. Hydropower Generation: The interlinked rivers have the potential to generate a total hydropower of around 34 GW. This will help India to reduce coal-based power plant usage and will help to achieve India’s targets under the Paris agreement. For e.g. The Ken-Betwa project will generate 103 MW of hydropower. 
5. Drinking water supply: The project envisages a supply of clean drinking water amounting to 90 billion cubic meter. It can help in the resolution of the issue of drinking water scarcity in India. For e.g. The Ken-Betwa project will benefit approximately 62 lakh people in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
6. Boost to industries: Interlinking of rivers has the potential to provide around 64.8 billion cubic meter of water for industrial use. Thus, by ensuring reliable water availability, interlinking of river can support industrial expansion, attract investment, generate employment and promote balanced regional economic development.
7. Groundwater Relief: By providing surface water alternatives, interlinking of rivers can reduce over-extraction of groundwater in over-exploited blocks (e.g. Punjab, parts of Tamil Nadu), aiding long-term aquifer recovery.
8. Environmental benefits: Interlinking can improve ecological water availability, support wetlands and wildlife habitats, sustain riverine ecosystems, and reduce drought-induced forest-fire risks by maintaining moisture levels and water availability in vulnerable landscapes.

What are the issues/challenges in Interlinking of Rivers?

The interlinking of rivers project has a variety of challenges. They are,

1. Impact of the Climate change: Reports suggest that climate change could lead to the loss of nearly one-third of the Hindu Kush region’s glaciers by 2100. Consequently, Himalayan rivers may not remain “water-surplus” for long. Moreover, changing rainfall patterns and water availability across the Indian subcontinent could undermine the long-term viability of river-linking projects. Thus, investing billions in such infrastructure may yield diminishing or only short-term benefits if future hydrological conditions differ significantly from present projections.
2. Human cost of Displacement: Large infrastructure projects may submerge villages and agricultural land. It will lead to large scale displacement & loss of livelihood of mainly Tribal and forest-dependent communities. For e.g. Ken-Betwa project alone is expected to displace over 7,000 families, with many belonging to indigenous Gond and Kol tribes whose livelihoods are tied to the land and forests.
3. Huge financial cost: NRLP is a highly capital-intensive project. In 2001, the total cost for linking the Himalayan and peninsular rivers was estimated at Rs 5,60,000 crore, excluding the costs of relief and rehabilitation, and other expenses. The cost-benefit ratio might no longer be favourable for the implementation of river interlinking projects. For e.g. the cost of the Ken-Betwa project has skyrocketed by over 2,100% from its initial estimate, raising questions about financial viability.
4. Impact on ecology and biodiversity:
   • Construction of dams, reservoirs and canals can lead to deforestation, habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss for e.g. Ken-Betwa Link Project, which submerges nearly 6,000 hectares of the core area of the Panna Tiger Reserve.
   • Moreover, with the ecology of every river being unique, letting the waters of rivers mix may affect biodiversity. Also, when most of the rivers in the country are polluted, this may cause mixing of a less polluted river with a more polluted one.
   • A key risk is the movement of invasive alien species from “surplus” to “deficit” basins. For instance, linking the Krishna River (which hosts 13-15 invasive species) to the Kaveri basin (which hosts 7-9) is projected to facilitate the spread of these invasives southward, threatening native biodiversity
5. Impact on Wildlife: River-linking projects can fragment wildlife habitats, disrupt migration corridors and alter aquatic ecosystems. For example, the Ken-Betwa project involves forest submergence in Panna, raising concerns over tiger habitat and biodiversity conservation.
6. International Challenges: Interlinking Himalayan rivers like the Brahmaputra involves transboundary water-sharing dynamics with neighboring countries like Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, raising international diplomatic and sovereignty concerns.
7. Inter-State River Disputes: Water is a State subject in India. So the implementation of the NRLP primarily depends on Inter-State cooperation. Several states including Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, and Sikkim have already opposed the NRLP.
8. Infrastructural Challenges: The government is proposing a canal irrigation method for transmitting water from one area to the other. The maintenance of canals is also a great challenge, as it includes preventing sedimentation, clearing logging of waters. Further, the government faces the challenge of acquisition of large-scale lands for the smooth implementation of the project.

What should be the way forward?

1. Comprehensive Reassessment: Commission an independent, comprehensive and transparent reassessment of all proposed river links, incorporating the latest climate models rather than relying solely on historical data. This would help identify which basins are genuinely water-surplus or water-deficit under future climate scenarios. 
2. Prioritize Intra-State & Small-Scale Links: Instead of massive inter-state mega-links that trigger political disputes, focus on smaller, intra-basin projects (for e.g. the Kosi-Mechi or localized intra-state links) that carry lower ecological footprints and are easier to execute.
3. Prioritise Economically Viable Links: Prioritise river-linking projects where long-term benefits in irrigation, drinking water and power generation clearly outweigh financial, environmental and rehabilitation costs, ensuring efficient and sustainable utilisation of public resources.
4. Climate-Resilient Planning: River-linking projects should incorporate climate projections, glacier dynamics, changing monsoon patterns and extreme weather events into planning, ensuring that infrastructure remains viable and water transfers remain sustainable under future hydrological uncertainties.
5. Minimise Displacement and Ecological Damage: River-linking projects should minimise displacement through careful site selection, environmental impact assessments and alternative designs. Ecologically sensitive forests and wildlife habitats must be protected, while affected communities receive fair compensation, rehabilitation and livelihood support.
6. National Waterways Project (NWP): As per some experts, the govt should consider the National Waterways Project (NWP) instead of the NRLP. Under NWP, water from a flooded river will flow to the other. It acts like a water grid, similar to a power grid. It just needs 1/3rd the land required for interlinking of rivers, is open to navigation throughout the year and involves zero pumping. Furthermore, it can irrigate almost double the land  and has a 76% more power generation capacity (60 GW) compared to the interlinking of rivers project.
7. Prioritize Local and Nature-Based Solutions: Initiatives like watershed development, rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, and rejuvenation of local water bodies can provide sustainable water security at a local level. These are often cheaper and create less social and environmental disruption than massive inter-basin transfers.

Conclusion: The interlinking project offers immense potential for water security but demands a science-based, people-centric approach, prioritizing ecological safeguards and fair rehabilitation over financial ambition.