Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai C. Patel during the foundation stone laying ceremony of Ken-Betwa River Linking Project, in Khajuraho, MP.
Credit: PTI Photo
The laying of the foundation stone for the Ken-Betwa river-linking project by Prime Minister Narendra Modi marks the formal start of a much-discussed and controversial initiative to link the country’s major rivers. The project involves construction of a 230 km canal to link the Ken river near Panna in Madhya Pradesh with the Betwa river near Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh. It aims to transfer water from the Ken to the water-starved districts of Bundelkhand. It is estimated to cost Rs 44,605 crore, but the cost can go up by the time it is completed. The project is part of the ambitious plan to link the country’s major rivers, both Himalayan and peninsular. The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has identified 30 such projects expected to cost 200 billion dollars. Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have signed an agreement on the Rs 72,000 crore Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal river-linking project.
The idea of river linking has been discussed in the country since the 1970s, when a pan-India Garland Canal was proposed. It envisaged the transfer of water across basins to ensure use of water without wastage for irrigation, flood control, and drought mitigation. A river is not just the water that it carries. It supports a whole world around an above itself.
Changing an ecosystem that has evolved through millennia can have serious consequences. If it is a ‘’one country, one river’’ idea, its validity is yet to be proved.
The Ken-Betwa linking project has been challenged on many grounds. It will submerge about 10% of the Panna Tiger Reserve and affect the entire biodiversity of the area. About 23 lakh trees will be felled. There are questions about the availability of surplus water to be transferred. Some experts have said that linking will make both the Ken and the Betwa basins water-deficient, and affect rainfall, sedimentation, soil fertility, and natural water storage capacity. It is also pointed out that there are alternatives, and the government has gone ahead with the project, ignoring the recommendations of an empowered committee. Extreme caution is needed in executing projects that seek to change nature, because the damage they cause is often irreversible.