• Recently, one of the biggest announcements made in Budget 2022-23 is the implementation of the Ken-Betwa Link Project with an estimated cost of Rs.44,605 crore.

• This river link is expected to create 9.08 lakh hectares of irrigated area, drinking water for 62 lakh people, 103 MW hydro and 27 MW of solar-power.

• The initial plan to interlink India’s rivers came in 1858 from a British irrigation engineer, Sir Arthur Thomas Cotton, but the idea of interlinking Indian rivers was revived a few decades ago independently.

• In 2002, the Supreme Court of India ordered the Indian Government to complete river interlinking project within the next 12–15 years.

• The Government of India appointed a Task Force and scientists, engineers, ecologists, biologists and policy makers started to deliberate over the technical, economic and eco-friendly feasibility of this gigantic project.

• Since 2015, Indian Government has implemented river interlinking projects in several segments such as the Godavari-Krishna Rivers interlining in Andhra Pradesh and the Ken-Betwa Rivers interlink in Madhya Pradesh.

Need for interlinking of rivers

• Uncertainty in rainfall occurrence: The uncertainty in rainfall occurrence is a serious problem for the country marked by extended dry spells and fluctuations in seasonal and annual rainfall pattern.

• In the summer seasons as the rivers dry up and the ground water level goes down, the water availability for agricultural, industrial and drinking purposes becomes critical.

• Some parts of the country do not have enough water even for raising a single crop due to regional rainfall alteration and surplus rainfall occurs in some parts of the country causing floods or waterlogged situation.

• Increase in agricultural area of irrigation: The irrigation has been the prime factor for increasing the food grain production in India from a mere 50 million tons in 1950s to more than 291 million tons in 2019–2020.

• The irrigation potential has to be increased to 160 million hectares for all crops for meeting food requirements by 2050.

• Lack of mismanagement leading to wastage of water: The India’s annually receives about 4000 km3 of water from precipitation, but due to exclusive rainfall patterns and their mismanagement, leads to wastage of water.

Why Interlinking of rivers is important?

• Last mile availability of water: The experts believe that the river interlinking is essential to make sure adequate and safe water delivery to all people and anywhere.

• National integration and equitable sharing of the country’s water wealth: The huge quantity of water of the river flows into the ocean and that if only this is prevented, and water transferred from water surplus rivers to water Deficit Rivers, there may be good enough supply of water for anyone throughout the country.

• Reduction in farmers’ dependence on monsoon for irrigation: The major benefit is taken by farmers because they will not depend on monsoon for agricultural processes.

• Avoidance of natural calamities: The problems of floods and droughts would be tackled nationwide.

• The water of the river which causes flood can be transferred to the area where there is a problem of drought at the same time.

• Increased Employment Opportunities in Rural Areas: People in the rural areas are now compelled to migrate to cities in search of jobs, causing rapid deterioration of our national economy.

• As the proposed link canals and the storages are going to be mostly in rural areas, it is going to create large employment opportunities for the rural youths.

Arguments against interlinking of rivers

• Disruption in rainfall pattern and marine ecosystem: The leading geologist and environmental experts have warned the move ought to disrupt rainfall pattern which could be a major problem in respect of climate change.

• The marine ecosystem will be disturbed and the physical process for the rainfall will be affected.

• Continuous decline in amount of rainfall received: A study by IIT Chennai and Mumbai has concluded that the rainfall of the country has decreased significantly, reducing water storage even in the river basins that have surplus water.

• Ecological impact of interlinking of rivers: The river linking project will have an ecological effect while building a network of dams, reservoirs and canals.

• It should be reanalyzed and reevaluated through considering changes in climatic patterns of the river basins.

• Massive displacement of people: The construction of dams would not substantially add to river flows and these dams could threaten the forests of the Himalayas and impact the functioning of the population residing in these locations.

• High cost in infrastructure building: The River inter-linking is an expensive business from building the link canals to the monitoring and maintenance infrastructure.

• The implementation of the project not only needs a huge financial capital but also political support, both are scarce commodities as of now.

• Water being a subject of inter-state dispute: Another important issue in interlinking of rivers is building consensus among states and Land acquisition.

Challenges in Interlinking Rivers

Political Challenges

• Water is the sign of wealth for a state as its basic need of every kind thus several states do not want to go with national river linking project in fear of losing surplus of water to the other states.

• A less political desire will make this project again a lip service so for this issue there must be an enthusiasm towards the project only after this can be a dream project comes true.

Economic Challenges

• National river linking project is a dream project for the Indian government has a vast impact on the national economy as the programming cost of this project is very high nearly $87 billion.

• It seems rather difficult to arrange this vast money from the market itself.

Environmental Challenge

• The national river linking project form very start has been a matter of criticism to the environmentalist. They feel the project as negligent, incautious and impertinent.

• According to the major group of environmentalists that project will change the geography of the whole country recklessly and will invite several challenges and the worst effect of nature.

International Challenges

• Himalayan rivers like Ganga, the Brahmaputra which flows in either multination boundaries or combination boundaries.

• India’s neighbours especially Bangladesh will resist this project because the flow of Ganga in Bangladesh will be reduced which will create a problem in implementing NRLP.

Measures to be adopted to successfully implement interlinking of rivers

• Increase in investments in interlinking rivers: It will be difficult to reach water to the entire livelihood without huge investments in a centralized water distribution network.

• Focus on decentralized local rainwater harvesting: By renovating and improving traditional water storage structure can meet the essential demands of water for domestic requirement more effectively and at a low input cost.

• Enhancing water use efficiency of irrigation systems: It can be done by reducing wastage of water such as runoff, seepage, evaporation, interflow and so on, and through efficient on-farm water management practices.

• Initiate actions on all fronts for developing its water resources: The priority of action must be for increasing productivity of land, choice of proper crops as per prevailing climatic conditions, increase in irrigation efficiency of existing projects through improved water management, rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge.

Road ahead

• The interlinking of rivers project is a major challenge and an opportunity to deal with the water related problems springing up drought, floods, climate change and so on.

• The long term strategy to water deficit problem lies in making the interlinking of rivers challenges by building a network of dams, reservoir, barrage, hydropower structures and canals throughout the geographical regions of the country.

• The interlinking of rivers is definitely a good solution for the shortage of water, but interlinking has to take place after a reconnaissance survey and detailed study so that does not cause any trouble to the environment or aquatic life.

• A careful scientific assessment of the project and its impact on the environment is necessary in case of a project of this magnitude especially with regard to Biodiversity.