₹45,000-cr. Ken-Betwa link project launched

Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for
the Ken-Betwa river-linking project in Madhya Pradesh’s Khajuraho, aimed at
solving the water woes of the Bundelkhand region, spread across parts of Uttar
Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The project is estimated to cost around ₹45,000
crore. The Ken-Betwa River linking project is expected to address drinking and
irrigation water needs of at least 10 districts of Madhya Pradesh and various
districts of Uttar Pradesh. The project is also aimed at generating more than
100 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar energy. Apart from the Ken-Betwa
project, the Prime Minister also virtually inaugurated a floating solar energy
project in Madhya Pradesh’s Omkareshwar, the State’s first solar power plant.

Key points

·       Overview: In December
2021, the Union Cabinet approved KBLP at a total cost of Rs 44,605 crore. In
this project, the national and the Madhya Pradesh governments will link the Ken
River with the Betwa river so that the latter can water the Bundelkhand region
in Uttar Pradesh.

·       Ken-Betwa
link: The Ken-Betwa Link Project is the first project under the National
Perspective Plan for interlinking of rivers. Under this project, water from the
Ken River will be transferred to the Betwa river. Both these rivers are
tributaries of river Yamuna. The link will be in the form of a canal that will
be fed by the new Daudhan Dam on the Ken, to be built within Panna Tiger
Reserve. The Ken-Betwa Link Project has two phases-

Ø  Under Phase-I,
one of the components — Daudhan dam complex and its appurtenances like Low
Level Tunnel, High Level Tunnel, Ken-Betwa link canal and Power houses — will
be completed.

Ø  Phase-II, three
components — Lower Orr dam, Bina complex project and Kotha barrage — will be
constructed.

·       Significance
of the project: According to the Union Jal Shakti Ministry, the
project is expected to provide annual irrigation of 10.62 lakh hectares,
drinking water supply to about 62 lakh people and generate 103 MW of
hydropower. Few are of the view that the introduction of dams inside the water
scarce regions of panna tiger reserve (MP), will rejuvenate the forests of the
reserve that in turn will pave the way for Rich Biodiversity in the region. It
will curb the rate of farmers suicide and will ensure them stable livelihood by
providing sustainable means of irrigation and reducing excessive dependence on
groundwater.

·       Related
concerns: Environmental - According to Environmental activists the project
will be very harmful to the Panna Tiger reserve, which is located in Madhya
Pradesh (result into submergence of 10% of critical tiger habitat) and
endangered vulture species like the white-rumped vulture (Height of the dam
will affect the nesting sites of vulture) .

Economic - There is a huge
economic cost attached with the project implementation and maintenance, which
has been rising due to delays in project implementation.

Social - Cut down of
million trees for the project which will adversely affect the rain in the
already dry Bundelkhand region which may led to displacement of people of
bundelkhand region and give rise to rehabilitation issues.

·       Way
ahead: The government is developing a larger ‘Panna Tiger Landscape’, which
should be created in any case for Panna’s tigers. Restoration of Bunderlkhand’s
erstwhile Chandel-period lakes and ponds. The developmental project should not
destroy the ecology of fragile ecosystems and important tiger habitats in the
country. The approach should be eco-centric and not anthropocentric.