Interlinking of Rivers in India- Explained Pointwise

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Ken-Betwa River Linking Project (KBLP) on December 25, marking the 100th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Ken-Betwa River Linking Project is a landmark infrastructure initiative aimed at addressing water scarcity and promoting development in Bundelkhand. However, there are concerns regarding environmental degradation, wildlife displacement, and rehabilitation, which merit a detailed discussion on the issue of river interlinking projects in the country.

What is the Ken-Betwa River Linking Project?

The KBLP aims to transfer water from the Ken River to the Betwa River, both tributaries of the Yamuna. The project includes a 221-km-long canal, featuring a 2-km tunnel. The project aims to provide irrigation for 10.62 lakh hectares (8.11 lakh ha in Madhya Pradesh and 2.51 lakh ha in Uttar Pradesh), drinking water supply for 62 lakh people and generation of 103 MW hydropower and 27 MW solar power.

This is the first initiative under the 1980 National Perspective Plan for interlinking rivers, which includes 16 peninsular and 14 Himalayan links.

What is the National River Linking Project (NRLP)?

NRLP, formerly known as the National Perspective Plan, proposes to connect 14 Himalayan and 16 peninsular rivers with 30 canals and 3,000 reservoirs to form a gigantic South Asian Water Grid. 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 will connect 1) the Ganga and Brahmaputra basins to the Mahanadi basin, and 2) 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, 1) the Mahanadi and Godavari to feed the Krishna, Pennar, Cauvery, and Vaigai rivers, 2) the Ken river to the Betwa, Parbati, Kalisindh, and Chambal rivers, 3) West-flowing rivers to the south of Tapi to the north of Bombay, and 4) 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.

Previous examples of river-linking in India- In the past, several river linking projects have been taken up. For instance:
a. Under the Periyar Project, transfer of water from Periyar basin to Vaigai basin was envisaged. It was commissioned in 1895.
b. 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- 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. Interlinking would enable the transfer of water from flood-prone regions to draught-prone regions.

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.

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 India to create employment, boost crop outputs, and farm incomes.

4. Generation of hydropower- 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 Glasgow Climate Pact and under the Paris agreement.

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.

6. Boost to industries- Interlinking of rivers has the potential to provide around 64.8 billion cubic meter of water for industrial use.

7. Environmental benefits- protect wildlife in the summer months due to water scarcity. It can also reduce forest fires occurring in India due to climatic conditions.

8. Waterline Defence- India can also explore an additional line of defence in the form of waterline defence by the interlinking of rivers.

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 point out that Climate change will cause a meltdown of 1/3rd of the Hindu Kush Region’s glaciers by 2100. So, the Himalayan rivers might not have ‘surplus water’ for a long time. The investment of billions of money in the interlinking of rivers might yield benefits only for a short time.

2. Human cost of Displacement- There are challenges of loss of livelihood and displacement of people especially, the poor and tribal people located near the 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.

4. Impact on ecology and biodiversity- 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.

5. International Challenges- Countries like Bhutan, Nepal, and Bangladesh will be impacted due to the NRLP. Bangladesh has fears tha the water diversion from the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers to India’s southern states, will threaten the livelihoods as well as its environment.

6. Inter state Disputes- Water is a state subject in India. So the implementation of the NRLP primarily depends on Inter-State co-operation. Several states including Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, and Sikkim have already opposed the NRLP.

7. 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. Efficient utilisation of existing resources- Integrated water resource management is the key for India. Curbing water demand by efficient utilisation of existing water resources should be prioritised before making big-ticket investments in river interlinking under NRLP.

2. Efficient Groundwater management- The focus of India’s water resources should be about nurturing its Groundwater system. It should include identification and protection of groundwater recharge mechanisms, installation of artificial recharge and regulation of groundwater use at aquifer level.

3. Virtual water- India should also push for the concept of virtual water. For example- When a country imports one tonne of wheat instead of producing it domestically, it is saving about 1,300 cubic meters of the local water. The local water can be saved and used for other purposes.

4. 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.