The Hindu : Karnataka News : Fiat to zilla panchayats on river linking

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 13, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Fiat to zilla panchayats on river linking

By K. Jeevan Chinnappa

MADIKERI, SEPT. 12. The State Government has asked the zilla panchayats to take up awareness programmes on the proposed `inter-linking of rivers' in the country consistent with the directions of the Union Government.

According to sources, the task force on inter-linking of rivers, Union Ministry of Water Resources, has sent pamphlets, brochures, and other publicity material to the State to distribute them among zilla panchayats.

It has also asked the State to involve NGOs, educational institutions, and farmers' organisations in the district and block levels for disseminating information on inter-linking of rivers.

The Centre set up the task force on December 13, 2002, with the former Union Minister, Suresh P. Prabhu as its chairman.

It has eminent personalities from different disciplines such as engineering, finance, economics, ecology, and so on.

Studies

The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) carried out `water balance studies' before arriving at two major components as part of the ambitious project, namely the Himalayan component and the Peninsular component.

It proposed 30 links — 14 in the Himalayan component and 16 in the Peninsular component — of which 21 links were inter-dependent and nine independent.

The inter-dependent ones comprise linking of Mahanadi-Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Cauvery-Vaigai in peninsular India to transfer surplus water of the Mahanadi and Godavari to deficit areas of the southern States; linking Manas and Sakosh with Ganga, Subernarekha, and Mahanadi to transfer surplus water to areas in other States with the objective of supplementing the above named peninsular linkage; and linking Gandak-Ghagra-Sarda-Yamuna to transfer surplus water to areas in States, including the desert areas of Rajasthan and arid areas in Gujarat.

Links

The links in the Himalayan component are Manas-Sankosh-Tista-Ganga, Koshi-Ghagra, Gandak-Ganga, Ghagra-Yamuna, Sarda-Yamuna, Yamuna-Rajasthan, Rajasthan-Sabarmati, Chunar-Sone Barrage, Sone Dam-southern tributaries of Ganga, Ganga-Damodar-Subernarekha, Subernarekha-Mahanadi, Koshi-Mechi, Farakka-Sundernbans, and Jogigopa-Tista-Farakka.

The names of the links in the peninsular component are Mahanadi (Manibhadra)-Godavari (Dowlaiswaram), Godavari (Inchampalli Low Dam)-Krishna (Nagarjunasagar Tail Pond/Pulichintala), Godavari (Inchampalli)-Krishna (Nagarjunasagar), Godavari (Polavaram)-Krishna (Vijayawada), Krishna (Alamatti)-Pennar, Krishna (Srisailam)-Pennar, Krishna (Nagarjunasagar)-Pennar(Somasila), Pennar (Somasila)-Cauvery (Grand Anicut), Cauvery (Kattalai)-Vaigai-Gundar, Ken-Betwa, Parbati-Kalsindh-Chambal, Par-Tapi-Narmada, Damanganga-Pinjal, Bedti-Varada, Netravati-Hemavati and Pamba-Achankovil-Vaippar.

Water transfer

The Himalayan rivers development envisages construction of reservoirs on the principal tributaries of the Ganga and Brahmaputra in India, Nepal, and Bhutan along with inter-linking canal systems to transfer surplus water of the eastern tributaries of the Ganga to the west, apart from linking the main Brahmaputra and its tributaries with the Ganga and Mahanadi.

The peninsular river development plan is divided into four major parts namely, inter-linking of Mahanadi-Godavari-Krishna-Cauvery-Vaigai rivers, inter-linking of west flowing rivers (north of Mumbai and south of Tapi), inter-linking of Ken-Chambal rivers, and diversion of other west flowing rivers towards eastern side.

Plan

The Ministry of Water Resources (then Ministry of Irrigation) and the Central Water Commission had formulated a National Perspective Plan (NPP) in 1980, proposing inter-basin transfer of water from surplus basins to deficit ones with a view to optimising utilisation of available water resources.

Some parts of the country experienced recurring floods and some drought every year.

Flood damages which came to Rs. 52 crores in 1953 went up to Rs. 5,846 crores in 1998, with the annual average being Rs. 1,343 crores, besides causing loss of human lives and property.

Interlinking of rivers could put an end to all the crises.

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