The idea of inter-linking of rivers in India (involving transfer of excess water from the regions having high rainfall to the areas that are drought-prone) has been doing rounds for several decades as a means to reduce persistent floods in some areas and water shortages in other parts of the country.
The idea seems to have moved a step forward now.
The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has been entrusted by the government with the work of inter-linking of rivers under National Perspective Plan (NPP) that has two components – Himalayan Rivers Development Component and Peninsular Rivers Development Component.
30 link projects have been identified under NPP. Pre-Feasibility Reports (PFRs) of all the 30 links have been completed and Feasibility Reports (FRs) of 24 links and Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of 8 links have been completed.
Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) is the first link project under NPP, for which implementation has been initiated as a joint effort by the Centre and the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Inter-Basin Water Transfer (IBWT) from surplus basins to water deficit basins/areas is essential to address the imbalance in water availability across the country and water security in the country. Because the rivers cross several states (and other countries as well in some cases), the cooperation of States is paramount in the implementation of inter-linking of rivers (ILR) projects.
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Latest Status and State-wise Details of Inter-Linking of River (ILR) projects:
A. Peninsular Component
| Name of the link | Status | States benefited | Annual Irrigation (Lakh ha) | Hydro power (MW) |
| 1. Mahanadi (Manibhadra) – Godavari (Dowlaiswaram) link | FR completed | Andhra Pradesh (AP) & Odisha | 4.43 | 450 |
| 1 (a) Alternate Mahanadi (Barmul) – Rushikulya – Godavari (Dowlaiswaram) link | FR completed | AP & Odisha | 6.25 (0.91 + 3.52 + 1.82**) | 210 (MGL)% + 240** |
| 2. Godavari (Polavaram) – Krishna (Vijayawada) link | FR completed | AP | 2.1 | — |
| 3 (a) Godavari (Inchampalli) – Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) link | FR completed | Telangana | 2.87 | 975+ 70= 1,045 |
| 3 (b) Alternate Godavari (Inchampalli) – Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) link * | DPR completed | Telangana | 3.67 | 60 |
| 4. Godavari (Inchampalli) – Krishna (Pulichintala) link | FR completed | Telangana & AP | 6.13 (1.09 +5.04) | 27 |
| 5 (a) Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) – Pennar (Somasila ) link | FR completed | AP | 5.81 | 90 |
| 5 (b)Alternate Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) – Pennar (Somasila ) link * | DPR completed | AP | 2.94 | 90 |
| 6. Krishna (Srisailam) – Pennar link | FR completed | — | — | 17 |
| 7. Krishna (Almatti) – Pennar link | FR completed | AP & Karnataka | 2.58 (1.9+0.68) | 13.5 |
| 8 (a) Pennar (Somasila) – Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link | FR completed | AP, Tamil Nadu & Puducherry | 4.91 (0.49+ 4.36 +0.06) | — |
| 8 (b) Alternate Pennar (Somasila) – Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link * | DPR completed | AP, Tamil Nadu & Puducherry | 2.83 (0.51+2.32) | |
| 9. Cauvery (Kattalai) – Vaigai -Gundar link | DPR completed | Tamil Nadu | 4.48 | — |
| 10. Parbati –Kalisindh – Chambal link | FR completed | Madhya Pradesh (MP) & Rajasthan | @Alt.I = 2.30 Alt.II = 2.20 | — |
| 10 (a) Parbati – Kuno – Sindh link. $ | PFR completed | MP & Rajasthan | ||
| 10 (b) Integration of modified Parbati – Kalisindh-Chambal link with Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) | PFR completed | MP & Rajasthan | ||
| 11. Damanganga – Pinjal link (As per DPR ) | DPR completed | Maharashtra (only water supply to Mumbai) | — | 5 |
| 12. Par-Tapi-Narmada link (As per DPR) | DPR completed | Gujarat & Maharashtra | 2.36 (2.32 + 0.04) | 21 |
| 13. Ken-Betwa link | DPR completed & implementation initiated | Uttar Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh | 10.62 (2.51 +8.11) | 103 (Hydro) & 27MW (Solar) |
| 14. Pamba – Achankovil – Vaippar link | FR completed | Tamil Nadu & Kerala | 0.91 — | — 508 |
| 15. Bedti – Varda link | DPR completed | Karnataka | 0.60 | —- |
| 16. Netravati – Hemavati link*** | PFR completed | Karnataka | 0.34 | — |
% MGL: Mahanadi Godavari Link
**Benefit from six projects of Govt. of Odisha.
@ Alt I- Linking with Gandhisagar Dam; Alt. II- Linking with Rana Pratapsagar Dam
* Alternate study to divert unutilized waters of Godavari river carried out and DPR of Godavari (Inchampalli/ Janampet) – Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) – Pennar (Somasila) –
Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link projects completed. Godavari-Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link project has been prepared comprising Godavari (Inchampalli / Janampet) – Krishna
(Nagarjunasagar), Krishna (Nagarjunasagar)- Pennar (Somasila) and Pennar(Somasila)-Cauvery(Grand Anicut) link projects.
*** Further studies are not taken up since after implementation of Yettinahole project by Govt. of Karnataka, no surplus water is available in Netravati basin for diversion through this link.
$ Integration of Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project of Rajasthan and Parbati – Kalisindh-Chambal link
B. Himalayan Component
| Name of the Link | Status | Country/ States benefited | Annual Irrigation (Lakh ha) | Hydro power (MW) |
| 1. Kosi-Mechi link | PFR completed | Bihar & Nepal | 4.74 (2.99+1.75) | 3,180 |
| 2. Kosi-Ghaghra link | Draft FR completed | Bihar, Uttar Pradesh (UP) & Nepal | 10.58 (8.17+ 0.67 + 1.74 ) | — |
| 3. Gandak – Ganga link | FR completed (Indian portion) | UP & Nepal | 34.58 (28.80+ 5.78 ) | 4,375 (Dam PH) & 180 (Canal PH) |
| 4. Ghaghra – Yamuna link | FR completed (Indian portion) | UP & Nepal | 26.65 (25.30 + 1.35 ) | 10,884 |
| 5. Sarda – Yamuna link | FR completed | UP & Uttarakhand | 2.95 (2.65 + 0.30) | 3,600 |
| 6. Yamuna-Rajasthan link | FR completed | Haryana & Rajasthan | 2.51 (0.11+ 2.40 ) | — |
| 7. Rajasthan-Sabarmati link | FR completed | Rajasthan & Gujarat | 11.53 (11.21+0.32) | — |
| 8. Chunar-Sone Barrage link | Draft FR completed | Bihar & UP | 0.67 (0.30 + 0.37) | — |
| 9. Sone Dam – Southern Tributaries of Ganga link | PFR completed | Bihar & Jharkhand | 3.07 (2.99 + 0.08 ) | 95 (90 Dam PH) & 5 (Canal PH) |
| 10.Manas-Sankosh-Tista-Ganga (M-S-T-G) link | FR completed | Assam, West Bengal (WB) & Bihar | 3.41 (2.05 + 1.00 + 0.36 ) | — |
| 11.Jogighopa-Tista-Farakka link (Alternative to M-S-T-G) | PFR completed | Assam, WB & Bihar | 3.559 (0.975+ 1.564+ 1.02) | 360 |
| 12. Farakka-Sundarbans link | FR completed | WB | 1.50 | — |
| 13. Ganga(Farakka) – Damodar-Subarnarekha link | FR completed | WB, Odisha & Jharkhand | 12.30 (11.18+ 0.39+ 0.73) | — |
| 14. Subarnarekha-Mahanadi link | FR completed | WB & Odisha | 1.63 (0.18+ 1.45) | 9 |
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