Ken-Betwa only priority river-link project to enter implementation stage: Centre

New Delhi: The Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) is the only priority project under the National Perspective Plan (NPP) for Inter-Basin Water Transfer to have entered the implementation stage, the Centre informed the Rajya Sabha during the ongoing Monsoon Session.

Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Chaudhary, replying to a question in the Upper House on Monday, said the Government of India has identified 30 Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) projects under the NPP, comprising 16 links under the Peninsular component and 14 under the Himalayan component.

The Ken-Betwa Link Project, with an estimated cost of ₹44,605 crore, is envisaged to provide irrigation to around 11.88 lakh hectares and drinking water to nearly 62 lakh people. The project is also expected to generate 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar power.

The Minister said the Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP), which incorporates the Godavari (Polavaram)-Krishna (Vijayawada) link, has been classified as a National Project and is being executed by the Andhra Pradesh government and the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA).

The project is designed to irrigate around 7.2 lakh acres and stabilise irrigation over 23.5 lakh acres in the Godavari and Krishna delta systems. It also envisages diversion of 80 TMC of Godavari water to the Krishna basin, besides providing drinking and industrial water, including to Visakhapatnam.

According to the Minister, the project will also provide domestic water supply to around 28.5 lakh people in 611 villages and generate 960 MW of hydropower. The Polavaram Irrigation Project has received cumulative Central Assistance of ₹20,658 crore.

The Centre also said the Godavari (Polavaram)-Krishna (Vijayawada) link has already been completed by the Andhra Pradesh government and the Polavaram Project Authority.

Environmental safeguards included

The government said environmental and socio-economic impacts are assessed through Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) as part of the preparation of Feasibility Reports and Detailed Project Reports for ILR projects.

In the case of the Ken-Betwa project, a comprehensive EIA has been completed along with an Integrated Landscape Management Plan (ILMP). The plan includes measures for catchment-area treatment, biodiversity conservation, landscape-level ecological management, command-area development and long-term monitoring of environmental parameters.

The Centre further said land acquisition and Rehabilitation & Resettlement (R&R) components have been incorporated into the sanctioned project structure for ILR projects, including Ken-Betwa. Project implementation, it added, is being carried out in accordance with applicable environmental, forest-clearance and R&R provisions.

The government also provided an update on the proposed Godavari-Cauvery link. Due to a lack of consensus over the proposed Manibhadra and Inchampalli dams, Phase-I of the plan to divert unutilised Godavari waters was taken forward.

A combined Detailed Project Report was prepared for the Godavari (Inchampalli)-Krishna (Nagarjunasagar)-Pennar (Somasila)-Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link. The report was subsequently updated, with the proposed link canal terminating at Manimukhta Nadi, a tributary of the Vellar River flowing adjacent to the Cauvery basin.

Mixed progress among other links

The Centre said different river-linking proposals are currently at different stages of development, while some have effectively stalled.

The Bedti-Varda link progressed directly from the Preliminary Feasibility Report (PFR) stage to the Detailed Project Report (DPR), with no separate Feasibility Report prepared.

The Netravati-Hemavati link, meanwhile, has seen no further studies after the PFR stage. According to the government, implementation of the Yettinahole project by Karnataka has left no surplus water available in the Netravati basin for diversion through the proposed interlinking project.

The government’s latest response highlights the uneven progress of India’s ambitious river-interlinking programme, with Ken-Betwa emerging as the only priority NPP link to have reached the implementation stage, while other proposals remain dependent on inter-state consensus, water availability, environmental considerations and further project preparation.