Ken-Betwa sets the tone

More river linking projects may get going

By formally approving the inter-linking of the Ken river in Madhya Pradesh with the Betwa in Uttar Pradesh, the Forest Advisory Committee of the environment ministry has removed the last major hurdle to the implementation of this Rs 10,000-crore project (first phase) that has been pending for years. This multipurpose project is meant to create additional irrigation potential of 600,000 hectares, provide drinking water to 1.34 million people and produce 60 MW of power. The endorsement of this project, more importantly, sets the tone for similar clearances to many other river-connecting proposals to transfer surplus water from river basins to deficient ones for equitable distribution of water across the country. Though the idea of a national network of interconnected rivers is over a century old, it has been dubbed by many as utopian because of foreseeable practical hindrances. Yet, theoretically, it is loaded with potential gains, such as an additional 35 million hectares irrigation and 34,000 MW of power generation. Notable incidental benefits will include flood control, navigation, fisheries and domestic water supply.

Incidentally, the Ken-Betwa project will really not be the pioneering instance of joining two or more rivers; though it will be the first among the 30 linkages proposed by the water resources ministry under its national water plan. The Godavari and Krishna rivers have already been linked with the commissioning of the Pattiseema scheme in Andhra Pradesh in 2015. The other inter-basin river linkages executed earlier included Sarda-Sahayak, Beas-Sutlej, Kurnool-Cuddapah, Periyar-Vaigai and Telugu Ganga. Despite such successes, the creation of a national water grid may remain elusive for several reasons. Apart from the environmental, financial and feasibility impediments, the implementation of projects on such a mammoth scale may pose many situation-specific glitches, including population dislocation, which may be hard to surmount. Besides, building a political consensus to take up inter-state water linkages may not be as easy since water is a state subject. That said, the indubitable fact also is that a country like India desperately needs such an integrated grid to overcome its water-related problems. 

What needs to be appreciated is that India is not an inherently water-short country. Its total annual rainfall of around 120 cm, including 89 cm during the monsoon season, is well above the global average of around 100 cm. If the bulk of this water, especially that falling during the monsoon, can be prevented from running off to the sea, eroding precious top soil in its wake, and can, instead, be distributed fairly, no part of the country will remain water-starved. However, the geological, ecological and environmental aspects of such a massive redistribution of water cannot be disregarded. Even in the case of the Ken-Betwa project, the government will need to be watchful of its adverse fallout on the Panna tiger reserve, a part of which is anticipated will be submerged. This bodes ill for some critical animal species such as tigers, vultures and gharial. Though the project sets apart 5 per cent of its budget exclusively for conservation and rehabilitation of this sanctuary, the action plan for this purpose will have to be result-oriented.