The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): India’s ambitious Inter-Linking of Rivers (ILR) Program, under the National Perspective Plan (NPP) devised in 1980, has made considerable strides. The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has identified 30 link projects—16 under the Peninsular Component and 14 under the Himalayan Component—for the preparation of Feasibility Reports (FRs). To date, Pre-Feasibility Reports (PFRs) for all 30 links, FRs for 24 links, and Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for 11 links have been completed.
The government, recognizing the critical importance of this program, has been actively pursuing the ILR program in a consultative manner and has prioritized it highly. A “Special Committee on Interlinking of Rivers” was established in September 2014 to oversee the program’s implementation, and it has convened 21 meetings so far. Additionally, a “Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers” was set up in April 2015 to expedite the ILR program, having held 18 meetings to date. These meetings have seen wide representation and active participation from the states, reflecting a collaborative approach in the program’s implementation, which is contingent on consensus among the party states.
A significant milestone in this program is the initiation of the Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP), the first project under the ILR initiative. Following a tripartite Memorandum of Agreement among the States of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and the Government of India, the KBLP was approved in December 2021 at an estimated cost of Rs. 44,605 crore. The project received substantial budget allocations and expenditures in the financial years 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24, reflecting the government’s commitment to advancing this pioneering project.
The Peninsular Component of the ILR Project includes various links like Mahanadi-Godavari, Godavari-Krishna, Krishna-Pennar, and others, benefiting multiple states including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka. The Himalayan Component includes links like Kosi-Mechi, Gandak-Ganga, and Yamuna-Rajasthan, benefiting states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and also neighboring countries like Nepal.
This comprehensive ILR Program aims to address the challenges of water scarcity and flooding in different parts of the country by effectively managing water resources through inter-basin water transfer. It not only represents a significant engineering endeavor but also showcases India’s proactive approach to sustainable water resource management.
The information was provided by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Bishweswar Tudu, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, underscoring the government’s dedication to this national project which holds the potential to revolutionize water management in India.