INTERLINKING OF RIVERS

SEMINAR REPORT

SUBMITTED BY
NIKHIL RV
S7 C2
ROLL NO 49

ABSTRACT
India is one of the few countries in the world endowed with reasonable land and water
resources. Being a monsoon country the rainfall is erratic, unevenly distributed and hence
water scarcity in some parts and floods in other parts frequently occur. In order to
produce to feed the expected population of 1650 M in 2050, there is a need to bring about
150 M Ha under irrigation from 100 M Ha at present. As more than 65% of the flow in
the rivers is not utilizable and goes to sea every year, it is necessary to interlink all the
rivers in the North and South to provide water to the deficit basins. Government has
created a National Water Development Agency (NWDA) to study and implement the
programme. The perspective plan comprises two components namely
i)
ii)

Himalayan rivers Development and

Peninsular rivers development.

Of this the 2nd component can be implemented since NWDA has conducted feasibility
survey, and estimates prepared to some basins. The excess water of east flowing rivers is
proposed to bring to the South and the west flowing flood water to transfer to the east to
irrigate drought affected areas. The Supreme Court has directed Government of India in
the year 2002 and again in 2012 to implement the interlinking of rivers in a time bound
programme by constituting a panel.
At the backdrop of this, the seminar is an attempt to study issues and challenges in
interlinking of rivers in India from the point of view of society at large.

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

2. HISTORY OF INTERLINKING WORKS

2.1. British Colonial Era

2.2. Post-Independence Period
2.3. 21st Century
3. Why Interlinking Of Rivers?

4. INTERLINKING RIVER PROJECTS

5. ADVANTAGES OF ILR

14

6. COSTS

15

7. DISADVANTAGES OF ILR

16

8. ECOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

18

9. Case Study of Inter-Linking of River in Jalgaon District

19

10. ALTERNATIVES TO ILR

21

11. CONCLUSION

22

LIST OF FIGURES
Fig.1-The Himalayan component

10

Fig.2-Peninsular Component

12

Fig.3-Various Interlinking Projects in India

13

Fig.4-Location of Jalgaon

19

Fig.5-Situation before and after Inter-Linking the Rivers

20

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1-TIMELINE OF ILR
Table 2-Inter-link Projects with their estimated costs

15

1. INTRODUCTION

Water is one of the principle elements which not only governs life on earth but also
influences economic, industrial and agricultural growth of mankind. There is a general
perception that with growing human population and rising standards of living, the
available supplies of fresh water on the planet are becoming insufficient to meet the
demand. India has a monsoon climate. Except for a small coastal area in the South,
almost the entire rainfall occurs during three to four monsoon months. Thus cultivation
during non-monsoon months is irrigation dependent. A characteristic of the monsoon
climate is variability of rainfall from year to year. India has an average of one in five
below-normal rainfall years. India is basically an agricultural country, and all its
resources depend on agricultural output. In India, 55% of agricultural output is from
irrigated lands. Moreover, average farm incomes have increased from 80-100 % as a
result of irrigation, while yields have doubled compared with those achieved under the
former rain-fed conditions. Water will no longer be cheap and plentiful. It will be scarce,
expensive to develop and maintain and valuable in use.
Keeping in mind the increasing demand for water, the government of India has developed
a new National Water Policy which claims that water is a prime natural resource, a basic
need and a precious national asset. Indias National Water Development Agency
(NWDA) has suggested the interlinking of rivers of the country. This proposal is better
known as the Inter-River Linking Project (IRL). It is a mega project that engages
money, resources, engineering, management and human understanding. It is designed to
ease water shortages in western and southern India and aims to link 30 major rivers. It
will also involve diverting the Ganges and the Brahmaputra two of Indias biggest
rivers. It is estimated to cost US $ 123 billion (as per 2002) and, if completed, would be
the single largest water development project anywhere in the world. It is expected that
properly planned water resource development and management could alleviate poverty,
improve the quality of life, and reduce regional disparities, better law and order situation
and manage the integrity of the natural environment. The core objectives of this seminar
are to understand the historical background of Interlinking River Projects and to discuss
issues and challenges pertaining to Interlinking River Projects.

2. HISTORY OF INTERLINKING WORKS

2.1. British Colonial Era

Sir Arthur Cotton, who pioneered the development of water resources in Southern India
from 1839 onwards, had proposed a plan for interlinking of Indian rivers for inland
navigation. A small portion of the plan was implemented but was abandoned later in
favour of railways.
2.2. Post-Independence Period
The proposal to link rivers in India was first mooted by Dr. K.L. Rao. then Irrigation
Minister Government of India in 1972. His idea was to link Ganga with Cauvery which
was about 2640 km. Thereafter Capt. Dastur in 1974 suggested the concept of Garland
Canal. Then in1982 NWDA was created to carry out the project, which included carrying
out the survey s and preparation of feasibility reports. NWDA has produced many reports
over 30 years, from 1982 through 2013. However, the projects were not pursued.
The river inter-linking idea was revived in 1999, after a new political alliance formed the
central government, but this time with a major strategic shift. The proposal was modified
to intra-basin development as opposed to inter-basin water transfer
2.3. 21st Century
By 2004, a different political alliance led by Congress Party was in power, and it
resurrected its opposition to the project concept and plans. Social activists campaigned
that the project may be disastrous in terms of cost, potential environmental and ecological
damage, water table and unseen dangers inherent with tinkering with nature. The central
government of India, from 2005 through 2013, instituted a number of committees,
rejected a number of reports, and financed a series of feasibility and impact studies, each
with changing environmental law and standards. In the year 2002, Supreme Court (SC)
refused to give any direction for implementation of Rivers Interlinking Project. However,
SC directed the Ministry of Water Resources to constitute an experts committee to pursue
the matter with the governments as no party had pleaded against the implementation of
Rivers Interlinking Project.

The various events leading to the development of Interlinking River Project in India is
shown in Table 1

Table1 : TIMELINE OF ILR

3. WHY INTERLINKING OF RIVERS?

A) Drought, floods and shortage of drinking water

India receives about 4,000 cubic kilometers of rain annually, or about 1 million gallons of
fresh water per person every year. However, the precipitation pattern in India varies
dramatically across distance and over calendar months. Much of the precipitation in
India, about 85%, is received during summer months through monsoons in the Himalayan
catchments of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) basin. The northeastern region
of the country receives heavy precipitation, in comparison with the northwestern, western
and southern parts. The uncertainty of start date of monsoons, sometimes marked by
prolonged dry spells and fluctuations in seasonal and annual rainfall is a serious problem
for the country. The nation sees cycles of drought years and flood years, with large parts
of west and south experiencing more deficits and large variations, resulting in immense
hardship particularly the poorest farmers and rural populations. Lack of irrigation water
regionally leads to crop failures and farmer suicides. Despite abundant rains during July
September, some regions in other seasons see shortages of drinking water. Some years,
the problem temporarily becomes too much rainfall, and weeks of havoc from floods.
This excess-scarcity regional disparity and flood-drought cycles have created the need for
water resources management. Rivers inter-linking is one proposal to address that need.

B) Population and food security

Population increase in India is the other driver of need for river inter-linking. India's
population growth rate has been falling, but still continues to increase by about 10 to 15
million people every year. The resulting demand for food must be satisfied with higher
yields and better crop security, both of which require adequate irrigation of about 140
million hectares of land. Currently, just a fraction of that land is irrigated, and most
irrigation relies on monsoon. River inter-linking is claimed to be a possible means of
assured and better irrigation for more farmers, and thus better food security for a growing
population.

C) Navigation
India needs infrastructure for logistics and movement of freight. Using connected rivers
as navigation is a cleaner, low carbon footprint form of transport infrastructure,
particularly for ores and food grains.

D) Current reserves and loss in groundwater level

India currently stores only 30 days of rainfall, while developed nations strategically store
900 days worth of water demand in arid areas river basins and reservoirs. Indias dam
reservoirs store only 200 cubic meters per person. India also relies excessively on
groundwater, which accounts for over 50 percent of irrigated area with 20 million tube
wells installed. About 15 percent of Indias food is being produced using rapidly
depleting groundwater. The end of the era of massive expansion in groundwater use is
going to demand greater reliance on surface water supply systems. Proponents of the
project suggest India's water situation is already critical, and it needs sustainable
development and management of surface water and groundwater usage

4. INTERLINKING RIVER PROJECTS

The National perspective plan envisions about 150 million acre feet (MAF) (185 billion
cubic metres) of water storage along with building inter-links. These storages and the
interlinks will add nearly 170 million acre feet of water for beneficial uses in India,
enabling irrigation over an additional area of 35 million hectares, generation of 40,000
MW capacity hydro power, flood control and other benefits.
The National Perspective Plan comprised, starting 1980s, of two main components:
1. Himalayan Rivers Development, and
2. Peninsular Rivers Development

An intrastate component was added in 2005.

4.1. Himalayan Rivers Development

The Himalayan component would consist of a series of dams built along

the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers in India,Nepal and Bhutan for the purposes of storage.
Canals would be built to transfer surplus water from the eastern tributaries of the Ganga
to the west. This is expected to contribute to flood control measures in the Ganga and
Brahmaputra river basins. It could also provide excess water for the Farakka Barrage to
flush out the silt at the port of Kolkata.
Fourteen (14) inter-links under consideration for Himalayan component are as follows,
with feasibility study status identified:

GhagharaYamuna link (Feasibility study complete)

SardaYamuna link (Feasibility study complete)

YamunaRajasthan link (Feasibility study complete)

RajasthanSabarmati link (Feasibility study complete)

KosiGhaghara link

KosiMechi link

ManasSankoshTistaGanga link

JogighopaTistaFarakka link

GangaDamodarSubernarekha link (Feasibility study complete)

SubernarekhaMahanadi link (Feasibility study complete)

FarakkaSunderbans link (Feasibility study complete)

GandakGanga link (Feasibility study complete)

ChunarSone Barrage link (Feasibility study complete)

Sone damSouthern tributaries of Ganga link

Fig 1 shows the various Himalayan Components.

FIG. 1) The Himalayan component

SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Rivers_Inter-link

4.2. Peninsular Component

This Scheme is divided in four major parts.

1. Interlinking of Mahanadi-Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Cauvery,
2. Interlinking of West Flowing Rivers, North of Bombay and South of Tapi,
3. Inter-linking of Ken with Chambal and
4. Diversion of some water from West Flowing Rivers

The main part of the project would send water from the eastern part of India to the south
and west. The southern development project (Phase I) would consist of four main parts.
First, the Mahanadi, Godavari. Krishna and Kaveri rivers would all be inter-linked by
canals. Reservoirs and dams would be built along the course of these rivers. These would
be used to transfer surplus water from the Mahanadi and Godavari rivers to the south of
India. Under Phase II, some rivers that flow west to the north of Mumbai and the south
of Tapi would be inter-linked. The water would supply additional drinking water needs of
Mumbai and provide irrigation in the coastal areas of Maharashtra. In Phase 3,
the Ken and Chambal rivers would be inter-linked to serve regional water needs
of Madhya Pradeshand Uttar Pradesh. Over Phase 4, a number of west-flowing rivers in
the Western Ghats, would be inter-linked for irrigation purposes to east flowing rivers
such as Cauvery and Krishna.
The inter-links under consideration for Peninsular component are as follows, with
respective status of feasibility studies:

AlmattiPennar Link (Feasibility study complete)(Part I)

BedtiVarada Link (Part IV)

DamangangaPinjal Link (Feasibility study complete) (Part II)

InchampalliNagarjunasagar Link (Feasibility study complete) (Part I)

InchampalliPulichintala Link (Feasibility study complete) (Part I)

KattalaiVaigaiGundar Link (Feasibility study complete) (Part IV)

KenBetwa Link (Feasibility study complete) (Part III)

MahanadiGodavari Link (Feasibility study complete) (Part I)

NagarjunasagarSomasila Link (Feasibility study complete) (Part I)

NetravatiHemavati Link (Part IV)

PambaAnchankovilVaippar Link (Feasibility study complete) (Part IV)

ParTapiNarmada Link (Feasibility study complete) (Part II)

ParbatiKalisindhChambal Link (Feasibility study complete) (Part III)

PolavaramVijayawada Link (Feasibility study complete) (Part I)

SomasilaGrand Anicut Link (Feasibility study complete) (Part I)

SrisailamPennar Link (Feasibility study complete) (Part I)

The Peninsular Component is shown in fig 2.

Fig.2-Peninsular Component
SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Rivers_Inter-link

4.3. Intra-state inter-linking of rivers

India approved and commissioned NDWA in June 2005 to identify and complete
feasibility studies of intra-State projects that would inter-link rivers within that state. The
Governments of Nagaland, Meghalaya, Kerala, Punjab, Delhi, Sikkim, Haryana, Union
Territories of Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar islands, Daman & Diu and Lakshadweep
responded that they have no intrastate river connecting proposals. Govt. of Puducherry
proposed Pennaiyar Sankarabarani link (even though it is not an intrastate project). The
States Government of Bihar proposed 6 inter-linking projects, Maharashtra 20 projects,
Gujarat 1 project, Orissa 3 projects, Rajasthan 2 projects, Jharkhand 3 projects and Tamil
Nadu proposed 1 inter-linking proposal between rivers inside their respective
territories. Since 2005, NDWA completed feasibility studies on the projects, found 1

project infeasible, 20 projects as feasible, 1 project was withdrawn by Government of

Maharashtra, and others are still under study
Various Interlinking Projects in India are shown in fig 3

Fig 3- Various Interlinking Projects in India

SOURCE: NATIONAL WATER DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

5. ADVANTAGES OF ILR
Create the potential to increase agricultural production by an additional 100 per cent
over the next five years;
Avoid the losses of the type that occurred in 2002 to the extent of $550 million by the
loss of crops because of extreme draught or flood condition;
Save $ 565215000 a year in foreign exchange by avoiding importing oil;
Unify the country by involving every Panchayat as a share holder and implement
agency;
Provide for enhancing the security of the country by an additional waterline of defense;
Provide employment to the 10 lakh people for the next 10 years;
Eradicate the flooding problems which recur in the north-east and the north every year;
Solve the water crisis situation by providing alternative, perennial water resources;
The large canals linking the rivers are also expected to facilitate inland navigation too;
Increasing food production from about 200m tones a year to 500m;
Boost the annual average income of farmers, from the present $40 per acre of land to
over $500.

6. COSTS
The rivers inter-linking feasibility reports completed by 2013, suggest the following
investment needs and potential economic impact
Interlinking Projects with their length, estimated costs in the year 2013,new irrigation
capacity added , potential electricity generation and drinking & industrial water added is
shown in Table 2.

Table 2-Inter-link Projects with their estimated costs

SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Rivers_Inter-link

7. DISADVANTAGES OF ILR
Environmental costs (deforestation, soil- erosion, etc.)
Rehabilitation: not an easy task
Social unrest/Psychological damage due to forced resettlement of local people (for
example, Sardar Sarovar
Project)
Political effects: strained relationship with neighbors (Pakistan, Bangladesh)

Inter-River Linking Project involves multifaceted issues and challenges related to

economic, ecological, and social costs. On this note, Iyer (2003) very sharply states that
We have had great difficulty in completing even a single project successfully and we
want to embark on thirty massive projects at the same time.
IRL project has caused much anger and protest in our neighbouring nation, Bangladesh.
It is grappled with fear that diversion of water from the Brahmaputra and the Ganges,
which provide 85% of the countrys fresh water flow in the dry season, would result into
an ecological disaster.
Indian National Water Development Agency plans to dig hundreds of reservoirs and
more than 600 canals. This may trigger an alarm among environmentalists to raise their
voice against this plan. Environmentalists are quite concerned about the ecological
impact of the project of such huge magnitude. Shiva (2003) very aptly remarked that the
water flowing into the sea is not waste; it is a crucial link in the water cycle. With the link
broken, the ecological balance of land and oceans, freshwater and sea water, also gets
disrupted Shiva considered ILR violence to nature: Violence is not intrinsic to the use of
river waters for human needs. It is a particular characteristic of gigantic river valley
projects which work against, and not with, the logic of the river.
As this project is of massive estimated cost, a long term planning and a sound financial
simulation are required to meet the standard of due diligence for such proposals. The
huge expenditure may likely generate fiscal problems that are difficult to handle. The
maintenance cost and physical position of the dams, canals, tunnels, and captive electric
power generation will also involve huge financial burdens. This certainly requires
financial assistance from the private sector, as well as global capital agencies.
Mobilization of global capital may ultimately entail the risk of destroying social welfare
measures.
The rehabilitation of project-affected people in water infrastructure projects will also
pose a burning question before the concerned authorities. The construction of reservoirs
and river linking canals in the peninsular component alone expect to displace more than
583,000 people and submerge large areas of forest, agriculture and non-agriculture land.

Transfer of water is bound to be unacceptable as no state is likely to transfer water to

another foregoing possible future use of such water. Domestic and regional geo-politics
play a pivotal role on the discussions on ILR. As of now, there is no mechanism as of
now to deal with matters concerning inter-basin transfers. There are also important
institutional and legal issues to be sorted out. As per the latest information disclosed in
the Indian Parliament, Union Minster of Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources
informed the house that NWDA has spent Rs 350.5 crores on various Inter-River Linking
Project (IRL) studies up to February 2012 and Water Resource Ministry had not received
certified copy of guidelines, as issued by the Honble Supreme Court of India.
Some of the ILR (inter-linking of rivers) schemes have international implications, with a
possible impact on countries like Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh. Each of the 30 schemes
of the ILR is supposed to get through several statutory, legal and procedural steps. None
of the schemes have gone through any of it. The Union ministry of environment and
forests has already said no to the project. No state is ready to give water to another state.
In Indias constitution, water is essentially a state subject. Several states including Kerala,
Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Sikkim have already opposed ILR projects. There will be
several environmental impacts of ILR including submergence of land and forests,
destruction of rivers, aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity, downstream impacts, destruction
of fisheries, salinity ingress, pollution concentration, destruction of groundwater recharge
and increased methane emission from reservoirs, among others. Unfortunately there is no
comprehensive assessment of all such possible impacts for a single link in any credible
way.

8. ECOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Some activists and scholars have, between 2002 and 2008, questioned the merits of
Indian rivers inter-link projects, and questioned if appropriate study of benefits and risks
to environment and ecology has been completed so far. Bandyopadhyay et al. claim there
are knowledge gaps between the claimed benefits and potential threats from environment
and ecological impact. They also question whether the inter-linking project will deliver
the benefits of flood control. Vaidyanathan claimed, in 2003, that there are uncertainty
and unknowns about operations, how much water will be shifted and when, whether this
may cause waterlogging, salinization and the resulting desertification in the command
areas of these projects. Other scholars have asked whether there are other technologies to
address the cycle of droughts and flood havocs, with less uncertainty about potential
environmental and ecological impact.

9. CASE STUDY OF INTERLINKING OF RIVER IN JALGOAN DISTRICT

Jalgaon District: Brief History

Jalgaon district is located in the north-west region of the state of Maharashtra (see fig
4).
It is bounded by Satpuda mountain ranges in the north, Ajanta mountain ranges in the
south.
Jalgaon has got pretty diverse climate. It is exceptionally hot & dry during summer with
temperature reaching as high as 45 degrees Celsius.
The principal natural feature is the Tapti River- Tapti flows westward from headwaters
in eastern Maharashtra to empty into the Arabian Sea.
The Tapti receives thirteen principal tributaries in its course through Khandesh. Tapti
flows in a deep bed which historically made in difficult to use for irrigation.
Most of Khandesh lies south of the Tapti, & is drained by its tributaries the Boriand
Panjhra.

Fig 4-Location of Jalgaon

Source: Interlinking of Rivers -Sonali A. More
Situation of this region before and after interlinking of rivers can be seen from fig 5.

Fig 5 Situation before and after Inter-Linking the Rivers

Source: Interlinking of Rivers -Sonali A. More

10. ALTERNATIVES TO ILR

Rainwater harvesting and conservation of water resources: Changes in

topography, soil system and runoff flow pattern in a changing climatic
environment is considered. Not only stored rain water but soil erosion is also
prevented.

Recharging ground water reservoir: Skills have to be developed for arresting rain
water where it falls and allowing it to recharge these ground water reservoirs.

Large scale utilization of ground water in deltas: practically feasible and

initiatives for bore-well development and irrigation needed with responsibility
lying .

Community participation: Approaches of reducing water consumption by the

affluent in the cities and reducing the wastage of water by the farmers in their
field can be attempted.

11. CONCLUSION
The inter-basin transfer project is to be funded mainly by the government of India,
international agencies and market borrowings. The interlinking of rivers, therefore, will
bring relief to utilize surplus water flow to water deficit regions in southern and western
India, control twin problem of flood and drought, irrigate additional areas, help to
produce additional food grain to cater to the needs of countrys ever growing population
and generate electricity to an otherwise energy starved country. However, inter-linking of
rivers alone may not solve all the water related problems of the country. some other ways
to conserve water like rainwater harvesting, water reuse, watershed management and
regulating the optimal exploitation of underground water resources need to be developed
at a much faster rate and efficient way than what is existing today.

12 . REFERENCES

1. NWDA, 1999, National Perspective for Water Resources Development, New Delhi,
2. R.K. Sivanappan. INTER-LINKING OF INDIAN RIVERS-NEED AND
IMPORTANCE, JOURNAL OF INDIAN WATER RESOURCES SOCIETY, Vol. 32,
No. 3-4,July-Oct., 2012,
3. Sonali A. More. Interlinking of Rivers, International Journal on Arts, Management
and Humanities 3(2): 14-20(2014)
4. Jalgaon.nic.in/html/RiverlinkingDocumentration/nadijodenglish.pdf.(ACCESSED ON
15/7/2015)
5. Dharmendra MEHTA AND Naveen K. MEHTA , INTERLINKING OF RIVERS
IN INDIA: ISSUES & CHALLENGES
6. Abu Raihan M. Khalid .The Interlinking of Rivers Project in India and International
Water Law: An Overview ,http://chinesejil.oxfordjournals.org/ .(ACCESSED on July 12,
2015)
7. Anjali Verma and Narendra Kumar. Interlinking of rivers in India: Proposed ShardaYamuna Link. IOSR Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food
Technology (IOSR-JESTFT) e-ISSN: 2319-2402,p- ISSN: 2319-2399.Volume 9, Issue 2
Ver. II (Feb 2015), PP 28-35
8. Anil Kumar Misra. Proposed river-linking project of India: a boon or bane to nature.,
Environ Geol (2007) 51:13611376 DOI 10.1007/s00254-006-0434-7
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Rivers_Inter-link.(ACCESSED on July 12, 2015)