Linking Ken, Betwa to hurt ecosystem, says govt report

The study by the environment ministry valued the benefits of the project at Rs 3000 crore anually

A study commissioned by the Union environment, forests and climate change ministry has concluded that interlinking the Ken and Betwa would stifle the ecosystem services the Ken provided.

Commissioned by the Environment Ministry as part of a series evaluating the economic value of biodiversity and ecosystem studies, the study looked at the aspects of the ecosystem services the Ken provided and valued the benefits at nearly Rs 3,000 crore annually.

It looked at the tourism potential, the withdrawal of sand, fisheries and the maintenance of the Panna Tiger Reserve, a part of which would be submerged in the interlinking of rivers.

As a preface to the set of studies, the environment secretary wrote, "The fourteen factsheets offer authentic insights based on a robust methodology yet startling in their revelation of the true worth of our natural capital."

An official of the ministry said, "The study was conducted as part of a series of research. While it is valuable, it does not form part of the clearance process. The fact sheets in public domain were prepared based on the studies. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for that is prepared separately by the project proponent. That is already under consideration and the expert appraisal committee is yet to take a decision on it."

Besides, noting the value of services that the naturally flowing river provided, the study also made critical comments about the process by which the clearance was being given to the project. It noted, "Of greatest relevance to the present study on ecosystem services of River Ken is the fact that the EIA report did not consider the impacts of the project on the river downstream, even up to 10 km downstream of the proposed dam. Nor did it consider the entire projected area of submergence."

During the mandatory appraisal, the project developer was required to prepare a detailed EIA report which was then put out for public comments from the people in the affected area. Based on the collected comments from the hearing and the EIA, the environment ministry's experts appraised the project.

On the public hearing, the authors of the economic evaluation team said, "The stakeholders and participants at the public hearing were divided into two camps. Clearly divided on political lines, participants were in general unwilling to discuss the technical, social and economic aspects of the project and its impacts. Even researchers like us, directly engaged in the study of the river, were shouted down as outsiders."

The authors of the report, a multi-disciplinary team from various institutions, noted, "It is neither our mandate nor our intention to analyse this EIA report here. Suffice it to point out that the EIA report considers impacts within a 10-km radius of the project site."

Commenting on the proposal to divert the Ken into Betwa, the authors said, "Storage and diversion of river flows provide certain benefits, such as agriculture, domestic supplies, industry or hydropower, but these benefits have a cost. Altered river flows beyond a certain threshold have an adverse impact upon the downstream ecosystem services of the river." They noted that downstream villages in the region would suffer from the diversion.

The report also noted that the interlinking of rivers would submerge 125 square km of forests, including a critically important section of tiger habitat, in the Panna Tiger Reserve. "Most of the people to be affected by the project, due to the submergence of their villages at the project site, had resigned to their fates and were concerned about the quantum of compensation," it stated.

The clearances for the project are at an advanced stage in the environment ministry at the moment. In its last meeting, the expert appraisal committee gave a nod to one part of the project, stating: "It was clarified that the Lower Orr is an independent project of the Madhya Pradesh government and is not related to Ken-Betwa link project. However, as and when Ken-Betwa link project materialises, the Lower Orr project shall become an integral part of Ken-Betwa Link Project Phase-II."

The Lower Orr project will require 3,730 hectares. The wildlife board has given an in-principle approval to the whole project even as it awaits expert committee's reports.