Interlinking of Rivers
The project of Inter-linking of rivers was first proposed in 1970s and revived again in 2003 but nothing concrete has been done on it. The concept has been envisaged on the premise that Indo-Gangetic Rivers are perennial and are fed from rain waters and other glacial sources of Southwest monsoon. On the other hand peninsular rivers are rain fed and are heavily dependent on south west monsoon. Hence, Indo-Gangetic plains witness devastating floods whereas peninsular states suffer from severe droughts. If this excess of water is transported to the peninsular rivers the issues of drought can be addressed. Thus interlinking of rivers will provide for equitable distribution of river waters.
National River Linking project
The project calls for transfer of water from the ‘water surplus’ basin to ‘water deficit’ basin by interlinking of 37 rivers across the nation through building of canals, dams etc. The project has two important components:
- Himalayan Component
- Peninsular component
Himalayan Component
Under this, 14 projects have been identified to link various rivers of the Himalayan Region. It involves construction of storage reservoirs on the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers as well as on their tributaries. Besides linking of Ganga and Yamuna has also been envisaged. It is expected to benefit the drought prone regions of Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat etc. Also it will provide flood moderation in the Ganga Brahmaputra system. Below is the given diagram of the proposed links:
Peninsular Component
Under this, 16 projects have been envisaged to connect the rivers of South India. Surplus water of Mahanadi and Godavari will be diverted to Krishna, Pennar, Cauvery and Vaigai. Out of the given below proposed links, Ken- Betwa has received the approval of the government.
What are the benefits of the project?
The project will likely to have the following most important benefits:
Redistribution of water
India receives most of its rainfall in three months of the year i.e from June to September. Out of this most of the rainfall occurs in northern and eastern India whereas southern India remains water deficit. Linking will provide two way advantage i.e controlling of floods as well taking care of droughts.
Hydropower generation
Interlinking of rivers will involve building of dams, reservoirs and it is expected that 34,000MW of total power will be generated once the entire project is implemented. It has the potential to address the electricity woes of the industrial, agricultural as well as rural households.
Irrigation benefits
Indian agriculture is dependent upon the monsoons. Hence, failure of crops is witnessed due to scarcity of water as we have witnessed in Vidharba region of Maharashtra. The project claims to provide additional irrigation facilities of around 35 million hectares in the water deficit western and peninsular regions.
Commercial Benefits
Interlinking of rivers will have commercial benefits in the long run. Canals can be used as inland waterways which will help in faster movement of goods from one place to another. Further, rural development with broadening income sources like fish farming etc.
What are the issues in the implementation of project?
Following are the concerns of the experts:
Feasibility of the project
The total cost of the project is estimated to be 5, 60,000 Crore at 2002 price level. In addition to this the total cost in terms of usage is estimated to be 1, 35,000 Crore for power generation and 4, 25,000 Crore for irrigation and water supply. Besides the huge cost involved, the project requires huge engineering structures which also involve constant monitoring.
Ecological Impact
The project will change the entire ecosystem of the rivers, thereby, affecting the fisheries, flora and fauna, wetlands and other biodiversity. Besides this, forest reserves and national parks are likely to be affected for building the various links. For example-Ken Betwa link is expected to put in danger 4000 hectares of the Panna National park which is also an important tiger reserve. Weight of millions of liters’ of water can also have seismic implications in the Himalayan region. Most importantly there will be decreased flow of fresh water in the sea which will affect marine life.
Social Impact
Building of dams and reservoirs will lead to displacement of lot of people which currently cannot be even estimated. For example-Tehri dam led to submergence of more than 40 villages along with partial submergence of 72 villages with the displacement of around 1 lakh people. With already increasing pressure on land because of rising population where all these displaced people will be rehabilitated are the biggest concerns of the experts arguing against the project.
Increase in Conflicts
Water is an emotive issue which has already burdened the tribunals with lot of conflicts. For example-Cauvery water dispute, Ravi-Beas water dispute etc. Interlinking of rivers will likely to increase the number of conflicts not only at the level of state but also of the international level.
Way Forward
It is been claimed that the project will cause more harm than good to the country’s resources. But at the same time its possible advantages cannot be neglected especially in the wake of rising concerns of climate change. So it is important to do more detailed studies regarding the pros and cons of the project before moving ahead. Till then its important that the government focus on following alternative mechanisms such as decentralized watershed development; rainwater harvesting; reviving local systems of irrigation.
