**9. Challenges: interlinking of Indian rivers**

#### **9.1 River linking should adjust rainfall, hit monsoons**

Criticizing the interlinking of rivers (ILR) mission of the Government of India, a leading geologist and environmental expert warned the move ought to disrupt rainfall pattern which could be a major problem in respect of climate change. The formidable ILR initiative which received a boost via the Prime Minister of India has 30 river linking initiatives under its ambit and consists of each peninsular and Himalayan Rivers.

V. Rajamani (Emeritus Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi) reported that there is a major disruption of ecosystem. In respect of climate change there is a possibility of change in rainfall pattern. The marine ecosystem will be disturbed and the physical process for the rainfall will be affected. You could no longer dependent upon the monsoon. Under changing rainfall pattern, it is not possible to meet water requirement of the ecosystem. So, there is need to link water bodies of those areas with water surplus areas to enhance the water flow to meet the water necessities.

There is not enough water to interlink rivers across India: IIT study.

A study of Indian Institutes of Technology, Mumbai and Indian Institutes of Technology, Chennai reported that rainfall of the country has decreased over the years 1901–2004, reducing water storage even in the river basins that have surplus water. It also reported that a significant fall in rainfall (i.e., more than 10% in each basin) in the major water surplus river basins of the Godavari, the Mahanadi, the Mahi, the Brahmani, the Meghna and the many small rivers in the Western Ghats, and east flowing river basins of the country. Only the Brahmaputra river basin showed that there is no deficit in rainfall [8]. Rivers linking project will have an ecological effect while building a network of dams, reservoirs and canals. It should be reanalyzed and reevaluated through considering changes in climatic patterns of the river basins. In such manner a decrease in surplus river basin contradicts the conventional perception that climate change phenomenon resulting wet areas to turn out to be wetter and dry areas to turn out to be drier over Indian conditions.

**73**

**Figure 1.**

*Inter Basin water transfer network in peninsular India.*

be 141 km3

*Interlinking of River: Issues and Challenges DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93594*

studies of the river interlinking projects.

peninsular and the Himalayan parts of India [9].

nents together have 30 river-linking projects.

network in peninsular part of the India is shown in **Figure 1**.

In 1982, National Water Development Agency (NWDA) was set up as an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Irrigation with the aim to carry out detailed studies, surveys and investigations of the water balance and feasibility

In 2002, the President of India point out the river linking project in the course of a speech. He proposed that it as a solution to India's water problem after which an application requesting an order from the Supreme Court of India on river linking matter was submitted. Finally, in 2002 the Government of India declared a substantial plan for an IBWT program involving 30 links of different river basins of

The interlinking of river (ILR) was introduced in 1982; it was actively taken up during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure as Prime Minister during 1999–2004. The ILR project has two components the peninsular and the Himalayan. Both the compo-

The peninsular part of the India covers the rivers in southern India envisaged developing a "Southern Water Grid" with 16 important river linkages in different states. This part included diversion of the excess waters of Godavari and Mahanadi to the Krishna, Cauvery, Pennar and Vaigai rivers. The inter basin water transfer

The peninsular part of the India has 16 major canals and 4 sub-components: (1) Network of Mahanadi-Godavari-Krishna-Cauvery-Vaigai rivers; (2) Network of west flowing rivers lies between south of Tapi and north of Bombay; (3) Network of Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal and Ken-Betwa rivers and (4) diverting the flow in some of the west flowing rivers to the eastern side of the country. As per NRLP the enroute irrigation under the peninsular part of the country is expected to irrigate substantial areas. The amount of water diverted in the peninsular part may

peninsular part of India. The overall project cost includes three components in the peninsular part of the India may be Rs.1,06,000 crore and the hydroelectric power component may be Rs. 2,69,000 crore. The gross hydroelectric power generated may be 4 to 34 GW [10]. The Himalayan part of the India was conceived for building storage reservoirs on the Ganga and the Brahmaputra and their main tributaries

. The area to be irrigated is situated in arid and semi-arid western and

#### *Interlinking of River: Issues and Challenges DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93594*

*Hydrology*

rivers the transfer water could be taken. There may be no records at the large quantity of water to be transferred via different canals link, the location and extent of the region to be strengthen on the receiving side and the water distribution system

**8. Interlinking of rivers to get new push during the year 1999–2004**

nearby basins instead of going on for distant inter-basin river linkages.

An ambitious project on interlinking of river got new impetus during the year 1999–2004. It focuses mainly on rivers linking of sub-basins within a larger basin or

Government of India considered those rivers basin for interlinking which are adjacent to each other, keeping in the mind its feasibility and utility to larger beneficiaries/stakeholders. It has done the interlinking of rivers in a manner that it simultaneously looks after irrigation and drinking water needs of human beings

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Sri Lanka and the Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF) have designed a 3 year project on "Strategic Analysis of India's River Linking Project" to qualitatively improve the

Criticizing the interlinking of rivers (ILR) mission of the Government of India, a leading geologist and environmental expert warned the move ought to disrupt rainfall pattern which could be a major problem in respect of climate change. The formidable ILR initiative which received a boost via the Prime Minister of India has 30 river linking initiatives under its ambit and consists of each peninsular and

V. Rajamani (Emeritus Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi) reported

that there is a major disruption of ecosystem. In respect of climate change there is a possibility of change in rainfall pattern. The marine ecosystem will be disturbed and the physical process for the rainfall will be affected. You could no longer dependent upon the monsoon. Under changing rainfall pattern, it is not possible to meet water requirement of the ecosystem. So, there is need to link water bodies of those areas with

A study of Indian Institutes of Technology, Mumbai and Indian Institutes of Technology, Chennai reported that rainfall of the country has decreased over the years 1901–2004, reducing water storage even in the river basins that have surplus water. It also reported that a significant fall in rainfall (i.e., more than 10% in each basin) in the major water surplus river basins of the Godavari, the Mahanadi, the Mahi, the Brahmani, the Meghna and the many small rivers in the Western Ghats, and east flowing river basins of the country. Only the Brahmaputra river basin showed that there is no deficit in rainfall [8]. Rivers linking project will have an ecological effect while building a network of dams, reservoirs and canals. It should be reanalyzed and reevaluated through considering changes in climatic patterns of the river basins. In such manner a decrease in surplus river basin contradicts the conventional perception that climate change phenomenon resulting wet areas to turn out to be wetter and dry areas to turn out to be drier over Indian conditions.

water surplus areas to enhance the water flow to meet the water necessities. There is not enough water to interlink rivers across India: IIT study.

via which water is to be allocated in the region.

troubles and route of the prevailing NRLP debate [7].

**9.1 River linking should adjust rainfall, hit monsoons**

**9. Challenges: interlinking of Indian rivers**

and ecological concerns.

Himalayan Rivers.

**72**

In 1982, National Water Development Agency (NWDA) was set up as an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Irrigation with the aim to carry out detailed studies, surveys and investigations of the water balance and feasibility studies of the river interlinking projects.

In 2002, the President of India point out the river linking project in the course of a speech. He proposed that it as a solution to India's water problem after which an application requesting an order from the Supreme Court of India on river linking matter was submitted. Finally, in 2002 the Government of India declared a substantial plan for an IBWT program involving 30 links of different river basins of peninsular and the Himalayan parts of India [9].

The interlinking of river (ILR) was introduced in 1982; it was actively taken up during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure as Prime Minister during 1999–2004. The ILR project has two components the peninsular and the Himalayan. Both the components together have 30 river-linking projects.

The peninsular part of the India covers the rivers in southern India envisaged developing a "Southern Water Grid" with 16 important river linkages in different states. This part included diversion of the excess waters of Godavari and Mahanadi to the Krishna, Cauvery, Pennar and Vaigai rivers. The inter basin water transfer network in peninsular part of the India is shown in **Figure 1**.

The peninsular part of the India has 16 major canals and 4 sub-components: (1) Network of Mahanadi-Godavari-Krishna-Cauvery-Vaigai rivers; (2) Network of west flowing rivers lies between south of Tapi and north of Bombay; (3) Network of Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal and Ken-Betwa rivers and (4) diverting the flow in some of the west flowing rivers to the eastern side of the country. As per NRLP the enroute irrigation under the peninsular part of the country is expected to irrigate substantial areas. The amount of water diverted in the peninsular part may be 141 km3 . The area to be irrigated is situated in arid and semi-arid western and peninsular part of India. The overall project cost includes three components in the peninsular part of the India may be Rs.1,06,000 crore and the hydroelectric power component may be Rs. 2,69,000 crore. The gross hydroelectric power generated may be 4 to 34 GW [10]. The Himalayan part of the India was conceived for building storage reservoirs on the Ganga and the Brahmaputra and their main tributaries

#### **Figure 1.**

*Inter Basin water transfer network in peninsular India.*

**Figure 2.** *Inter Basin water transfer network in Himalayan India.*

both in India and Nepal in order to conserve water during the monsoon season for irrigation and hydro-power generation, besides checking floods. The Himalayan part of the India is comprised of 14 inter basin water transfer network including Brahmaputra-Ganga, Kosi-Mech, Kosi-Ghagra, Gandak-Ganga, Ghagra-Yamuna, Sarda-Yamuna, Ganga-Damodar-Subernarekha, Subernarekha-Mahanadi and Farakka-Sunderbans. The Inter basin water transfer network in Himalayan part of the India is shown in **Figure 2**.

The Himalayan part of the India has 16 important river networks, has two sub-components: (1) Transfer of Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers surplus waters to the Mahanadi Basin and from Mahanadi to Godavari, Godavari to Krishna, Krishna to Pennar and Pennar to the Cauvery river basins. (2) Transfer of water from the Eastern Ganga tributaries to the western sects of the Ganga and the Sabarmati river basins. Altogether, those river water transfers network will mitigate the floods issues within the eastern sects of the Ganga Basin and gives irrigation water delivery to the western sects of the Ganga. The Himalayan sects needed large number of dams in Bhutan and Nepal to capture and divert flood waters from the tributaries of the Brahmaputra and Ganga rivers, and also within India to divert the surplus waters of the Godavari and Mahanadi rivers. The amount of water diverted in the Himalayan part may be 33 km3 . The overall project cost of the Himalayan part is to be Rs.1,85,000 crore. The gross hydroelectric power generated may be 30 GW [11].

## **10. Successfully interlinking Indian rivers projects**

There are many river linking projects are successfully completed or operated by the Govt. of India is explained below:

**75**

*Interlinking of River: Issues and Challenges DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93594*

It is also called Indira Sagar project. It is a multipurpose project built on Godavari river in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It has assessed culturable command area (CCA) of 2.91 lakh hectares and hydropower generation capacity of 960 Mega Watt (MW). It additionally has a carrying capacity of drinking water supply of 23.44 thousand Million Cubic Feet (TMC) to Vishakhapatnam Steel Plant. Its' inter-

basin annual water carrying capacity is 80 TMC to Krishna river basin [12].

region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

domestic and industrial water supply to Mumbai city

• The main aim of Ken-Betwa link Project provides 6.35 lakh ha irrigation and 49 MCM drinking water supply in the drought prone and backward Bundelkhand

• It will transfer surplus water of Ken basin to water deficit Betwa basin besides

• 77 m high, 2031 m long Daudhan Dam on Ken river in Chhatarpur district of

• The project envisages to provide 579 MCM of water of Damanganga basin for

○ Domestic and industrial water supply to Mumbai city—579 MCM

• The main aim of this project is to provide irrigation for 2.30 lakh hectares by transferring 1330 MCM of water from Par, Auranga, Ambika and Purna rivers to water short north Gujarat Kutch region besides enroute irrigation and

**10.1 Polavaram project**

**10.2 Ken-Betwa link project**

power generation of 78 MW.

M.P 221 km long link canal.

**10.3 Damanganga-Pinjal link project**

• Project benefits

○ Hydropower—5 MCM

• Benefit cost ratio—1.95

• Project benefits

**10.4 Par-Tapi-Narmada link project**

hydropower generation 21 MW.

○ Annual irrigation—2.3 lakh ha

• Total cost estimated—Rs. 9279 crore

○ Hydropower—21 MW

• Benefit cost ratio—1.95

• Total estimated cost—Rs. 2746.61 crore

• Estimated Cost Rs. 17,700 Crores
