Highlight the main features of the ‘Inter-linking of Rivers’ project in India. What could be its probable advantages to Indian agriculture?. (UPSC CSE Mains 2019 - Sociology, Paper 2)
The interlinking of rivers project in India is a proposed large-scale infrastructure project that aims to connect various rivers across the country through a network of canals, dams, and reservoirs. It has two components focusing on Himalayan River Component and Peninsular River Component.
The main features of this project
- Interconnection of Rivers: The project involves linking different rivers in India by constructing canals, tunnels, and reservoirs to transfer water from surplus river basins to deficit ones. For example Ken Betwa River Linking
- National Water Grid: The interconnected rivers would create a National Water Grid, which could facilitate the efficient management and allocation of water resources for irrigation, drinking water supply, and industrial use.
- Water Transfer: The project intends to transfer excess water from flood-prone areas to drought-prone regions, helping to mitigate the impact of both floods and droughts. This could potentially improve water availability for agriculture in arid regions.
- Hydropower Generation: The construction of dams and reservoirs for river interlinking can also generate hydropower, contributing to India’s energy needs and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
Advantages To Indian Agriculture
- Small and marginal framers cannot access to irrigation facilities like tube wells (mostly found with MALIKS in terms classification given by D. Thorner). Now they can get access to water reducing marginalisation of small farmers.
- Feminization of agriculture is new emerging trend in Indian agriculture and posing new challenges. The river linking can make agriculture profitable in drought prone regions and hence reducing feminization of poverty.
- Distress migration of small and tenets farmer to cities creates exploitative structures for migrating members and remaining family members. These migrating tendencies can be curbed and the employment opportunity in agrarian structures gets created due to availability of inputs for agriculture.
- These projects can help in mitigation of floods in upper riparian states and help in creating sustainable and resilient agricultural practices. It can help in curbing cycle of poverty led by disasters.
- The drought prone reasons witness large number of anomic suicides by farmers. The river linking can help in suppressing sucidogenic tendencies among farmer by mitigating droughts.
- Increased agricultural productivity can contribute to food security in India by ensuring a steady supply of food crops.
Dysfunctions
- Such projects can increase rifts between various states involved leading to regional conflict. Rivers holds cultural significance and river water sharing had been a sensitive issue since independence.
- River water diversion can cause ecological stress and there can be rise in environmental movements and protests.
While this ambitious project offers potential advantages such as increased access to water for small farmers, reduced feminization of poverty in drought-prone areas, and mitigation of distress migration, it also raises concerns about regional conflicts, ecological stress, and environmental protests. Striking a balance between these potential benefits and challenges is crucial to ensure sustainable and equitable water resource management in India to maintain equilibrium in society.
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