KEN-BETWA RIVER LINKING PROJECT

2. About Ken-Betwa Link Project

• It is the first project under the National Perspective Plan for the interlinking of rivers.
• It envisages transferring water from the Ken river to the Betwa river, both tributaries of the Yamuna.
• The Ken-Betwa Link Canal will be 221 km long, including a 2 km long tunnel.
• The project has two phases with mainly four components.
• Phase-I will involve one of the components Daudhan Dam complex and is subsidiary units such as Low-Level Tunnel, High-Level Tunnel, Ken-Betwa Link Canal, and powerhouses.
• Phase II will involve three components Lower Orr Dam, Bina Complex Project, and Kotha Barrage.

• As per an official statement issued after the Cabinet approval on Wednesday, the total cost of the Ken-Betwa link project has been assessed at Rs.44,605 crores at 2020-21 price levels.
• The Union Cabinet has approved central support of Rs.39,317 crores for the project, covering a grant of Rs.36,290 crores and a loan of Rs.3,027 crores.
• The statement further said that the project is proposed to be implemented in 8 years with “state-of-the-art technology.

3. Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)

• A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for the project is called Ken-Betwa Link Project Authority (KBLPA) will be set up to implement the project.
• The Centre has set in motion the process of creating the National Interlinking of Rivers Authority (NIRA) is an independent autonomous body for planning, investigation, financing, and implementation of the interlinking of river (ILR) projects in the country.
• The NIRA will have the power to set up SPV for individual link projects.

4. Conceptualiztion of the project

• The idea of linking Ken with Betwa got a major push in August 2005, when a tripartite memorandum of understanding for the preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) was signed between the Centre and the two states.
• In 2008, the Centre declared KBLP a National Project. Later, it was included as part of the Prime Minister’s package for the development of the drought-prone Bundelkhand region.
• In April 2009, it was decided that the DPR will be prepared in two phases.
• In 2018, a comprehensive DPR including phase-I, II, and additional areas proposed by Madhya Pradesh was also prepared.
• It was sent to Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and the Central Water Commission in October 2018.
• The memorandum of agreement was signed to implement the project.

5. Benefits from Project

• The project lies in Bundelkhand, a drought-prone region, which spreads across 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

• It will pave the way for more interlinking of river projects to ensure that scarcity of water does not become an inhibitor for development in the country.

Image source: The Indian Express

• According to the National Water Development Agency under the Jal Shakti Ministry, the Daudhan dam, to be built on the Ken river, will be 77 meters high and its gross capacity will be 2,853 million cubic meters.
• According to the NWDA, the reservoir of Daudhan dam will involve “a submergence of 9000 ha area, out of which 5803 ha comes under Panna Tiger Reserve.
• The latter includes 4141 ha of forest area which is about 7.6% of the total Panna Tiger Reserve area”.
• To mitigate adverse impacts on Panna Tiger Reserve, as decided by NTCA,
• Landscape Management Plan to decide mitigation strategy concerning KenBetwa Link entrusted to Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, and is in its final stage.
• In addition to above three wildlife sanctuaries, viz Nauradehi, Rani Durgawati of MP and Ranipur WLF of UP are planned to be integrated with PTR for the proper conservation of Wild Life under Tiger Reserve.

7. The concept of river linking in India

• In the past, several river-linking projects have been taken up.
• For instance, the Periyar Project, under which the transfer of water from the Periyar basin to the Vaigai basin was envisaged, was commissioned in 1895.
• Other projects such as Parambikulam Aliyar, Kurnool Cudappah Canal, Telugu Ganga Project, and Ravi-Beas-Sutlej too were undertaken.
• In the 1970s, the idea of transferring surplus water from a river to a water-deficit area was mooted by the then Union Irrigation Minister Dr. K L Rao.
• Himself an engineer, he suggested the construction of a National Water Grid for transferring water from water-rich areas to water-deficit areas.
• Later, Captain Dinshaw J Dastoor proposed a Garland Canal to redistribute the water from one area to another.
• However, the government did not pursue these two ideas further.
• It was not until August 1980 that the Ministry of Irrigation prepared a National Perspective Plan for water resources development envisaging interbasin water transfer.
• The NPP comprised two components: Himalayan Rivers Development; and Peninsular Rivers Development. Based on the NPP, the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) identified 30 river links 16 under the Peninsular component and 14 under the Himalayan Component.
• Later, the river-linking idea was revived during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime.
• The Ken-Betwa Link Project is one of the 16 projects under the peninsular component.

8. Clearances for a river-linking project

1. Forest clearance, and environmental clearance (Ministry of Environment & Forests);
2. Resettlement and rehabilitation plan of tribal population (Ministry of Tribal Affairs) and
3. Wildlife clearance (Central Empowered Committee).

For Prelims & Mains