LIR PTH2

30

THE PREVIOUS PROPOSALS ON LINKING OF THE RIVERS

The idea of linking water surplus Himalayan Rivers with water scarce parts of western and Peninsular India

has been doing the rounds for the past 150 years. However, it is difficult to identify the exact proponents

of inter-linking of rivers as opined by Iyer (2003). The inter-linking of rivers suggested till now has two

parts, a northern Himalayan River Development component and a Southern Peninsular Development

component.

Himalayan development: The northern component (Fig. 1) would consist of a series of dams built along

the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers in India, Nepal and Bhutan for the purposes of storage. Canals would

be built to transfer surplus water from the eastern tributaries of the Ganga to the west. The Brahmaputra

and its tributaries would be linked with the Ganga and the Ganga with the Mahanadi River.

Peninsular development: The main part of the project is to send water from the eastern part of India to

the south and west (Fig. 2). The southern development project would consist of four main parts. First, the

Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery rivers would all be linked by canals. Extra water storage dams

would be built along the course of these rivers. The purpose of this would be, to transfer surplus water

from the Mahanadi and Godavari rivers to the south of India. Second, those rivers that flow west to the

north of Mumbai and the south of Tapi would be linked. Due to the irregular fluctuations in water levels in

the region, as much storage capacity would be built as possible. Third the Ken and Chambal rivers would

be linked. Finally a number of west-flowing rivers along the Western Ghats simply discharge into the Arabian

Sea. As many of these as possible would be diverted for better use.

Fig.1: Himalayan Component. (The red lines indicate the links between the rivers)

UGC Sponsored National Seminar "Linking of Indian Rivers" Boon or Bane". 13-14 September 2013

Department of Geology, S.K.E. Society's G.S. Science Degree College, Belgaum.

31

Fig.2: Peninsular Component. (The red lines indicate the links between the rivers)



PHYSIOGRAPHY OF INDIA

The Indian subcontinent, with varied landforms, is a conspicuous physical entity in a map of the Asian

continent. The land mass have formed during different geological periods and plate tectonics. Besides,

a number of processes such as weathering, erosion and deposition have created and modified the relief

to its present form. Within the subcontinent, there are three major physiographic divisions suggested

(Krishnan, 1961; Wadia, 1975). They are Extra-Peninsular India in the north, Peninsular India in the

south and the Indo-Gangetic Plain in between. Each one of these has distinguishable geological and

geomorphological characteristics.

The Extra-Peninsular India: The Extra-Peninsular India is made up of very rugged and highly folded

and thrusted young mountain ranges of the Himalayas, separated by deep valleys. Perennial rivers like

Indus, Ganga, Yamuna and Brahmaputra, and some of their tributaries originate from different parts of

the Himalayas and the neighborhood. Some of the major rivers pass through deep gorges cutting across

the ranges, before flowing down south on to the plains. The majority of rocks are sedimentation of

Phanerozoic though igneous and metamorphic rocks of Precambrian are also present.

The Peninsular India: The Peninsular India is made up of mountain chains, plateaus and narrow

coastal plains, interspersed with deltas and estuaries. Deformed igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic

rocks, and undeformed and unmetamorphosed sediments range in age from Precambrian to Holocene.

32



The landscape consists of extensive high-level surfaces. The majority of rivers flow from the west to east

into the Bay of Bengal, except for the rivers Narmada and Tapti flowing due west.

The Indo-Gangetic Plain: The Indo-Gangetic Plain is an extensive plain, sloping gently due east-southeast.

The unconsolidated sediments in this plain are derived both from the Himalaya in the north and the shield in

the south, though more from the north. This is one of the greatest foredeeps in the world. Alluvial fans along

the northern borders, terraces and flood plains are common features. The Indo-Gangetic Plain has been

formed by the interplay of the three major river systems, namely – the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra

along with their tributaries. This plain is formed of alluvial soil. The deposition of alluvium in a vast basin lying

at the foothills of the Himalaya over millions of years formed this fertile plain. The western part of the Indo-

Gangetic Plain, called as the Punjab Plains, is formed by the Indus and its tributaries. The larger part of this

plain lies in Pakistan. The Ganga Plain, extending between Ghaggar and Teesta rivers, spreads over the

states of Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and partly Jharkhand and West Bengal. The Brahmaputra

Plain is spread across the north eastern states.

33

THE MOUNT AIN RANGES

The Himalayan Mountains in the north have the loftiest of peaks of which the Mount Everest is the highest

(~8848 m). These extend in an arcuate from over a length of about 2500 km from Pamir (beyond Karakoram

Range) in the west to Mishimi Hills in the east, with the convexity to the south. The width varies between 150

and 400 km. There are ~14 peaks more than 8000 m high and many more over 7000 and 6000 m. Though

the main range is in India, Nepal and Bhutan, the northern slopes extend into the Tibetan Plateau. The main

range can be divided into Tethys domain, Himadri (Greater Himalaya), Lesser Himalaya and Siwalik (Outer

Himalaya) (Fig. 3), between Tibet in the north and the Indo-Gangetic Plain in the south. Most of the peaks

are snow covered and there are many glaciers in them particularly in the Tethys domain and Great Himalaya.

These high mountains have been formed by the collision of India plate with the northern Asian plate.

Fig. 3: Mountain Ranges of India (after Ramakrishnan and Vaidyanadhan, 2010)



34

In Peninsular India the major landforms are the Western Ghats (Sahyadri), close to the west

coast, and the Eastern Ghats, partly close to the east coast. Right across Peninsular India are the Vindhyan

and Satpura Ranges. The Western Ghats is a continuous escarpment extending from southern Gujarat to

Kerala (~1600 km) except for a break in the far south called Palghat Gap between Nilgiri Hills and

Anaimalai Ranges. The highest peak in the Western Ghats is Anaimudi (2693 m), to the south of Palghat

Gap, followed by Doddabetta (2636 m) in the Nilgiris, to the north of the Gap. The Western Ghat forms

a watershed for all the rivers flowing east and west. Their easterly slopes are gentle. But the western ones

are steep, presenting long escarpments, particularly in Maharashtra and northern Karnataka. Almost the

northern half of the Western Ghats is made up of the Deccan Trap (Cretaceous-Paleocene lava flows), the

central part by Dharwar schist belts and the southern part by Precambrian charnockites, granites and

gneisses. The Eastern Ghats comprise of a series of detached hills extending from Shevaroy and Javadi

Hills in Tamil Nadu in the south to Orissa in the northeast, a major continuous stretch being in north coastal

Andhra Pradesh. The maximum elevation attained is ~1500 m at Mahendragiri in Orissa. Most of the

Eastern Ghats is formed by charnockites, khondalites and migmatitic gneisses of Eastern Ghats mobile

belt.

The Vindhyan and Satpura Ranges, extending ENE-WSW are partly made up of hill ranges and

partly plateaus. The Vindhyan Range extends from Jobat in Gujarat in the west and ends up in Bihar near

Sasaram in the east. The general elevation ranges between 450 and 600 m, but a few ranges rise to 900 m.

They are mostly composed of sandstones and quartzites of the Vindhyan Supergroup. The Satpura Range,

though shorter, attains greater elevations (Pachmarhi–1335 m; Amarkantak–1064 m). These are made up

of Deccan Traps, Gondwana sedimentaries, Proterozoic sedimentary rocks and Precambrian metamorphics,

granites and gneisses. Their disposition is largely due to the major ENE-WSW thrusting along Narmada

and Tapti faults and intermittent rejuvenation and erosion.

The Aravalli Hills in Rajasthan extend SW to NE from Gujarat to south of Delhi. The highest point

is Gurushikar (1772 m) in Mt Abu. These are made up of Precambrian igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary

rocks. Their position is mainly due to major thrust from the east and periodic uplift and faulting.

The Shillong Plateau in the northeast is made up of Garo, Khasi and Jaintia Hills. They are considered

as possible extension of the ENE-WSW trending Vindhyan and Satpura Ranges, though separated by the

Rajmahal Gap in West Bengal and Bangladesh. As the very name signifies it is essentially a plateau made

up of Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks in a major part.



35

THE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS

The drainage systems of India are mainly controlled by the broad relief features of the subcontinent.

Accordingly, the Indian rivers are divided into two major groups i.e., the Himalayan Rivers and the Peninsular

Rivers. The details of the major rivers and their tributaries are given in Table 1. Most of the Himalayan

Rivers are perennial. They receive water from rain as well as from the melted snow from the lofty mountains.

The sources of Indus, Satluj and Karnali (the longest tributary of Ganga), are all fairly closely by within a

few kilometers of each other in the neighborhood of Manasarovar Lake in Tibet. Some of the Himalayan

rivers passing through gorges across the strike ridges of Himalayan strata, with vertical sides rising more

than 300 m above the river bed, are considered to be antecedent. They maintained their course by

deepening the valleys as the mountains were slowly undergoing uplift. Satluj flowing due west, joining

Indus, Ganga flowing due south and Brahmaputra from the east are the major rivers issuing from the

northern part of Himalaya. After passing through Tibet for about a distance of 1100 km as Tsang Po,

Brahmaputra makes a loop around Namche Barwa peak, cuts through Himalayan ranges and passes

through Assam valley in an extensive wide braided channel. Passing around Garo Hills, it joins Ganga in

Bangladesh where it is called Padma or Jamuna (Ramakrishnan and Vaidyanadhan, 2010).

A large number of the Peninsular Rivers are seasonal, as their flow is dependent on rainfall. The

Peninsular Rivers have shorter and shallower courses as compared to their Himalayan counterparts.

Among the Peninsular Rivers, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery have their sources in the Western Ghats

and flow right across the country along with their numerous tributaries to discharge into the Bay of Bengal

with prominent deltas at their mouths. Further north, the Mahanadi with its source in the northern foothills

of Dandakaranya flows through a wide basin and joins the Bay of Bengal, building a very large delta,

along with Baitarani and Brahmani to its north. Narmada and Tapti (Tapi) rivers flowing due west are the

only two major rivers that discharge into the Arabian Sea, though there are many small rivers issuing from

the western slopes of Western Ghats and discharging into the Arabian Sea. A rift of fault is considered to

technically control the Narmada River. The Narmada-Son lineament is a major line of crustal deformation.

However, in spite of its location in a tectonically active zone in a monsoon setting, it is the exceptional high

magnitude floods at irregular intervals that are considered responsible for the form and behaviour of the

Narmada River. Tapti River originating in the Betul Plateau in Central India flows through a narrow gorge

in the source region. Both Narmada and Tapti discharge through estuaries and have not built deltas.



36

Table 1: Details of the major rivers and their tributaries in India

BhagirathiRamganga

GomatiGhaghara

Gondaki 30059' NBurthi 78055' E

Ganga Uttarakhand 3892 10,80,000 2525 Gondak Origin 42470 329Koshi 22005' N

Mahanahda 90050' EYamuna

TonTamsa

SonPunpun

DibangLohit 30023' N

Dhansir 8200' EAssam / Kamenga Origin 19300 597

Brahmaputra Arunachal 5210 6,51,334 2900 Raidak 25013' 24" NPradesh Jadhaka 89041'41"E

TessaGowhati

20011' NMahanadi Chattisgarh/ 890 1,14,600 858 Seonath 89091 'E 2119 15.7

Odisha Telen Origin

PurnaPranahitaIndravati

Sabari 19055'48"NTaliperu 73031'39"E

Maharashtra/ 920 3,12,812 1465 Pravara Origin 3061.18 170Godavari Andhra Manjira 1700' N

Pradesh Pedda 81048' EVagu

ManairKinnerasani

BhimaDindi

PeddavaguMaharashtra/ Halia

Krishna Karnataka/ 1337 2,58,948 1400 Musi 17055'28"N 1641.74 4Andhra Paleru 73039' 36"EPradesh Munneru

VennaKoyna

PanchgangaDoodganga

GhataprabhaMalaprabha

Tungabhadra

River LocationElevation

(in mAMSL)

Basin(sq. km)

Lengthin Km

Tributaries CoordinatesMouth

dischargem3/s

SedimentYield

(106 t/yr)



37

Sediment Yield: One of the problems connected with the study of rivers attracting the attention of the

scientific community is the nature and quantum of the sediments they carry and deposit either in the

reservoirs or lakes or into the sea/ocean, where they ultimately discharge. A study of sediment yield has

long time applications. Indian rivers show pronounced seasonal and spatial variability in their sediment

discharge. It is summarized that besides contribution from the nature of the lithology of the drainage basin,

anthropogenic activities also add to the sediment load. Table 1 gives the sediment yield as estimated for

some of the rivers in the Indian subcontinent.

PROPOSED LINKS OF THE MAJOR RIVERS FROM NOR TH TO SOUTH

The rivers in the northern part of India will be linked with the proper elevation drops to find the gravity

flow of water. Wherever in the basin, if slope is abnormal to link it is proposed to take up aqueducts.

The following north Indian rivers can be linked:

a. North Western River Links connecting Ganga and Sabarmati River Basins

Ganga River tributary Bhagirathi is proposed to be linked to Ton River, a tributary of Yamuna, which

further will be linked to Sabarmati River, the west flowing and the Chambal, the east flowing Rivers.

The linking height for Bhagirathi is proposed at 1667 m AMSL, for Pabbar of Ton River at 1416

m AMSL and for Chambal at 843 m AMSL. In between Pabbar and Chambal an aqueduct is proposed

to be constructed at a height of 762 m to find appropriate slopes between the two basins. The drop of

aqueduct in Sabarmati basin may be best utilized to generate the hydro electric power. The rainfall in

Bhagirathi basin is ranging between 1350 and 2000 mm with an estimated discharge of 3120 m3/s (Table

2; Fig 6). The next connecting Ton River of Yamuna basin having an annual rainfall between 1195 to 1600

mm, discharging about 3000 m3/s is proposed to be linked with a natural slope. The Sabarmati basin

follows the lower land between Pabbar and Chambal Rivers, which has a very low rainfall accounting to

about 653 to 780 mm and discharges about 1200 m3/s. The Sabarmati basin has a total catchment area

of 21,674 sq km (Fig 5), which is more compared to Bhagirathi and Ton Rivers. The catchments of

Sabarmathi and Chambal Rivers have a problem of altitudes, where the Sabarmati basin lies at lower

altitude as compared with Chambal River. The catchment elevation of Sabarmati basin head water is 762

m while that of Chambal River is 843 m. The appropriate altitude is to be considered at Pabbar River to

match the slope of the link at Chambal below 843 m within the basin (Fig. 4). The link between the

Pabbar and Chambal River can be established through an aqueduct. The structure and the drop of the

elevations between Pabbar and Chambal may attract the hydro electricity generation in Sabarmati River

basin. By establishing the links between the Bhagirathi and Chambal, the northwestern part of India will

be benefitted. The water scarce areas of Sabarmati and Chambal basins are solved and a huge basin area

may be covered.



38

Fig. 4: Bar graph showing the elevations of the sub-basins of the major rivers of north India.

Fig. 5: Pie Chart showing the catchment areas of the sub-basins of the major rivers of north India.

Table 2: Details of sub basins of north western river links connecting Ganga and Sabarmati River basins

Dams acrossAMSL

2133/ 1352

atGanga Ganganani/ 30073'N 78045 'E 6921 3800 Pal Maneri Tehari Dist.,Bhagirathi Uttarkhashi

Himalaya

1416.50Yamuna Lower 31007'54" 77045'00" 1034 2496 Pabbar ChirgaonTon Siwaliks 1416

782.00 Dharoi DehabarSabarmati Aravalli 240 0'16" 72051'13" 5475 1216.8 782 Udaipur

Rajasthan

853/122 Gandhi ManapurChambal Manapura 240 42'24" 75033'12" 143219 8059 Sagar Indore

Indore 843-475

Basin / River Elevation of originMts AMSL

Co-ordinates

Lat Long.

Catchmentin Sq. Km

Dischargein M 3/S

Place



39

Fig. 6: Pie Chart showing the rainfall distribution patterns in the sub-basins of the major rivers of north India.

b. Central River Links connecting Eastern and Western part

The Central Indian River links can be established between Mahanadi, Narmada and Tapi Rivers. These

basins have a peculiar relief with their structural setup. As seen from the basin map the Narmada and Tapi

have a narrow basin with elongated areas between the Vindhyan and Satpura mountain ranges, as well as

Ajanta and Mahadev hills in the west to east. The head water source points of these rivers are not well

established because they originate on a plateau area. These three basins have a problem of elevation drops

(Fig. 7). The link may be established by constructing the tunnels, ranging an average length of 6 km,

between the Mahanadi and Tapi to link Narmada at an appropriate elevation between 850 m to 725 m.

The Mahanadi basin has a big catchment area to the tune of 1,41,600 sq km (Fig. 8) and has a annual

rainfall of 1305 mm (Fig. 9) with estimated discharge of 2119 m3/s (Table 3). This is little higher than the

Narmada and Tapi basins. The Mahanadi basin experiences the flood situation also. This establishes the

link between east and west flowing rivers. The Narmada and Tapi basin have the catchment area of 98796

and 65145 sq km and have an average rainfall of 1214 and 830 mm respectively. This will certainly

account for the flood control at Mahandai basin.



40

Fig. 7: Bar graph showing the elevations of the sub-basins of the major rivers of central India.

Fig. 8: Pie Chart showing the catchment areas of the sub-basins of the major rivers of central India.

Table 3 : Details of sub basins of central river links connecting eastern and western part

Dams acrossAMSL

890

AravalliMahanadi Sihawa 20011'N 81091 'E 141589 2119 Hirakud Sambalpur

Raipur 890-442 ChattisgarhMadhya RaipurPradesh

1048Vindhyan 22040" 81045' 98796 4390 Dindori Uppar

Narmada Narmada 727-00 NarmadaKund Amarkantak

AmarkantakMP

752Tapi Satpura 29051" 78025' 65145 1488 Amaravai Amaravati

Ajanta Hills 752Mahadev

Hills


Co-ordinates

Lat Long.

Catchmentin Sq. Km

Dischargein M 3/S

Place



41

Fig. 9: Pie Chart showing the rainfall distribution patterns in the sub-basins of the major rivers of central India.

Table 4 : Details of sub basins of southern River links connecting Godavari and Krishna River basins

Dams acrossAMSL


Co-ordinates

Lat Long.

Catchmentin Sq. Km

Dischargein M 3/S

Place

920Godavari Brahmagiri 19055'40" 73031 '39" 312812 3061.18 Tryambak Nasik

Mountains 750

823Manjira Bhalghat 18015'47" 76048 '47" 30844 1357 AhmadnagarAhmadnagar

Maharashtra 823

945Bhima Bhimashenkar 19041'9" 73032 '9" 70641 5288 Bhima

Maharashtra 945-336

Krishna 1337Almatti dam Maharashtra 17055'28" 7339' 36" 258948 873.6 1337.00 Mahabaleshwar

884Ghataprabha Amboli 15045' 74000 8829 3269 Hidkal Hukkeri

Maharashtra 650-520

792Malaprabha Kankumbi 15047'20" 75000'34" 11594 1617 Naveeltirtha Soundatti

Karnataka 610-488

Tungabhadra Hospet TB 14000'30" 75040'27" 71417 3914 T B Dam Hospet dam Hospet



42

Fig. 10: Bar graph showing the elevations of the sub-basins of the major Rivers of south India.

Fig. 11: Pie Chart showing the catchment areas of the sub-basins of the major Rivers of south India.

Fig. 12: Pie Chart showing the rainfall distribution patterns in the sub-basins of the major Rivers of south India.



43

c. Southern River Links connecting between Godavari and Krishna River Basins.

The southern part of India is a peninsular land mass which exhibits hard and igneous lithological assemblages,covering typical drainage basin characteristics than the northern part of India. The basins have their headwater source at Western Ghats and most of the rivers flow towards east and have a little flood situation andall the rivers have varied basin discharges.

In Godavari basin, Godavari, Manjira and Bhima may be linked to distribute the water amongst the

tributaries of Godavari. The Godavari basin has a catchment area of 3,12,812 sq km of which Bhima has

70,614 sq km and Manjira has 30,844 sq km (Table 4; Fig. 11). The rainfall in Bhima River sub basin

accounts for 3390 mm while, Manjira River sub basin has a low rainfall around 870 mm (Fig. 12). The figures

indicating an uneven distribution of the rainfall and the discharges of Bhima and Manjira Rivers are remarkable.

The discharge of Bhima River estimates 5288 m3/s and that of Manjira is 1357 m3/s. These two links in

Godavari basin helps in distributing water in a basin from the sub basin of the same river. Bhima River often

encounters flood situation which can be controlled by transferring adequate water to Manjira. The appropriate

link from Bhima to Godavari and to Manjira has to be established at an altitude between 800 and 750 m

AMSL. Godavari-Manjira can be linked at an altitude between 850 and 820 m AMSL, further Manjira-

Bhima between 800 to 750 m AMSL (Fig. 10). This is an independent link between the basins. However, the

River Bhima a tributary of Krishna Basin has to be linked from an elevation between 900 m to River Krishna

at Narayanpur dam located at an elevation of 500 m AMSL. Bhima River finds flood situation and have a

higher discharge of 5288 m3/s and have a high rainfall 3390 mm and the catchment area is 70614 sq km

which is considerably lower than the catchment of River Krishna around Narayanpur dam which is 47,850

sq km.

This link finds the distribution of excess water from Bhima River to the lower part of River Krishna at

Narayanpur dam. Further down, south of Krishna basin with tributaries may be linked to distribute the

excess water from Bhima-Krihsna-Ghataprabha-Malaprabha with varied catchment and rainfall characteristics.

These are independent basin links of Krishna basin. Krishna River has a head water source point at altitude

of 1337 m, Ghataprabha with 884 m and Malaprabha with 792 m AMSL. The rainfall variation accounts for

4181 mm, 2096 mm and 1037 mm respectively. The water may be distributed to share excess water within

the basin by a link canal with an altitude between 1000 to 800 m AMSL. Further, the Krishna River may be

tapped at Almatti dam spill height to link Tungabhadra River at Tungabhadra dam at an altitude of 519 to 495

m AMSL. The Krishna basin independent link may be established as Bhima-Krishna-Ghataprabha-

Malaprabha and further, Krishna-Tungabhadra, wherein link cannals works on gravity fall and find controlled

distribution of water.



44

CONCLUSIONS

Brahmaputra and Ganga, particularly their northern tributaries Mahanadi and Godavari, and west

flowing rivers, originating from the Western Ghats, are found to be surplus in water resources. If the storage

reservoirs are built on these rivers and are connected to the water scarce regions of the country, regional

imbalances could be reduced significantly and could be benefitted in many ways viz., additional irrigation,

domestic and industrial water supply, hydro-power generation, navigational facilities, etc. The proposed

Himalayan link project would provide additional irrigation for about 220,000 km2 and generate about 30

GW of electricity thereby providing extra flood control in the Ganga and Brahmaputra river basins. It could

also provide excess water for the controversial Farakka Barrage which could be used to flush out the silt at

the port of Kolkata. The proposed peninsular part of the project would provide additional irrigation to 130,000

km2and generation of about 4 GW of power.

The dynamicity of the historic movement of plates have created the present relief and left the weaker

zones as folds, fault planes and lineaments, which have to be taken care and a detailed studies have to be

conducted before forcing the additional load by inter basin transfer. Constructing additional dams is not

advisable as far as the geographic set up, land subsidence; rehabilitation and local geology are to be assessed.

Drainage net work is a function of the climate, soil, geology, and relief of the basin. Studies on quantitative

analysis of a drainage basin have indicated their distribution of water in different land farms is controlled by the

geomorphic characteristics of the basin. In spite of transferring the water from one to other it is better to have

a overall basin management with respect to the catchment treatment by afforesting to avoid the generation of

silt by weathering process, further the erosion have to be controlled, with this, the already existing dams

across the rivers will find the maximum water and the dams will be free from the silt deposits. To avoid the

flood during the monsoon the drainage basin has to be treated in the catchment area by drawing pickups from

full river level and has to be diverted to the next sub basin or the basin with guiding topography. During the

flood and draught periods the available water in the basin have to be managed with better water use practices

so as to avoid the soil degradation in the basin. Every basin or the sub basin has the very specific drainage

characteristics to hold the quantity of water according to the catchment area. Addition of any water to it will

disturb the relief and may find changes in the relief and the soil in the basin may be affected by water logging,

salinity & alkalinity.

The proposed links of the major rivers from north to south, consisting of three components i.e.,

north-western, central and southern component, will be linked with the proper elevation drops to find the

gravity flow of water. In the basin, wherever the slope is abnormal, it is proposed to take up the aqueducts for

the purpose of linking. The north-western river link connects the Ganga River tributary, Bhagirathi, to Ton

River, a tributary of Yamuna, which is further linked to Sabarmati and Chambal rivers. The central river link is

established between Mahanadi, Narmada and Tapi rivers while the southern link connects Godavari and

Krishna river basins.



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Transfer Schemes, with and appraisal of their Ecological, Socio-economic and Sociopolitical

implications and recommendations for their management. Water Research Commission,

Technology Transfer Report TT120/00. Pretoria, South Africa: Water Research Commission.

14. Verghese, B.G. (2003). Exaggerated Fears on “Linking Rivers”. Himal South Asian, September

2003. http://www.himalmag.com/2003/september/response.html.

15. Vladimir (2006) Draft prepared for the IWMI-CPWF project on “Stretegic Analysis of National

River Linking Project of India

16. Vombatkere, S. G. (2003) Interlinking: Salvation or folly? http://www.indiatogether.org/2003/jan/

wtr-sgvintlink.html.

17. Wadia, D. N. (1975) Geology of India, 4th Edn., Tata Mc Graw Hill, Delhi, pp.508.

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REFERENCES :-



46

The River-linking project (RLP) proposes to link 14 Himalayan rivers in the north and 16 peninsular rivers

in the south. The benefits of such a scheme are obvious - it would add 35-37 million hectares of irrigated

land generate 34,000 million kilowatts of electricity and increase navigational efficiency apart from controlling

floods and eliminating chances of drought. River-linking will be an ecological disaster, say environmentalists.

“We require practical solutions and not spectacular ones”. In the river linking project channeling the surplus

water to underfed areas will solve the perennial problem of floods and droughts and bring a boom in

employment but there’s another side to the coin which spoils the rosy picture. The project is based on the

false assumptions that water from surplus rivers can be diverted to deficit Rivers. The truth is there are no

surplus or deficit rivers. There are only living and dead rivers. Rivers live where river basins have been

ecologically managed.” All rivers change their course every 70 to 100 years. “This is a natural phenomenon

that can’t be altered. We may link them today but once the rivers start changing their course after a few

decades then the entire project would be in vain.” But these aren’t the only reasons why critics are debunking

the government’s massive project that is perceived to control floods, reduce incidences of drought, produce

huge amounts of hydro-electricity and create long stretches for navigation. We can say that the scheme has

the potential to cause large and irreparable damage on a scale that is unimaginable. There would be loss of

biodiversity, reduction in downstream flows, damage to fisheries and wild life, displacement of people,

conflicts over water sharing and pressure created on land by cubic tons of water that might cause seismic

tremors.

So, is the move to link the rivers feasible and desirable? Environmentalists say that connecting the peninsular

rivers in the Himalayan region would not just alter the natural drainage but 40,000 km long inland waterways

would cause massive human displacement. Environmentalist points to the non-violent irrigation system that

has so successfully been followed in southern rivers.

Non-violent irrigation system adopted in ancient times in Mysore. “Water storage and distribution were

based on nature’s logic and worked in harmony with nature’s cycles. Among these was the major tank

system of Mysore.

“We require practical solutions and not spectacular ones. It is high time government starts rethinking before

it’s too late.”

ABSTRACT

India ’s River Linking Pr oject

Anand Kishor Verma, Akhilesh Kumar, Pawan Kumar and Dhiraj Kumar Jha

SIAEIT, #9, Coffee Board Layout,Hebbal Kempapura, H.A.Farm Post, Bangalore-560024

Email:[email protected]



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The Indian Rivers Inter-link is a proposed large-scale civil engineering project that aims to join the majority

of India’s rivers by canals and so reduce persistent water shortages in parts of India. River Linking is project

linking two or more rivers by creating a network of manually created canals, and providing land areas that

otherwise does not have river water access and reducing the flow of water to sea using this means. It is

based on the assumptions that surplus water in some rivers can be diverted to Deficit Rivers by creating a

network of canals to interconnect the rivers. The Inter-link would consist of two parts, a northern Himalayan

River Development component and a southern Peninsular River Development component. Himalayan

development, the northern component would consist of a series of dams built along

the Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers in India, Nepal and Bhutan for the purposes of storage. Canals would

be built to transfer surplus water from the eastern tributaries of the Ganga to the west. The Brahmaputra and

its tributaries would be linked with the Ganga and the Ganga with the Mahanadi River. This part of the

project would provide additional irrigation for about 220,000 square kilometres and generate about 30 gig

watts of electricity. In theory it would provide extra flood control in the Ganga and Brahmaputra river basins.

It could also provide excess water for the controversial Farakka Barrage which could be used to flush out

the silt at the port of Kolkata. Peninsular development, the main part of the project would send water from

the eastern part of India to the south and west. The southern development project would consist of four main

parts. First, the Mahanadi, Krishna and Kaveri rivers would all be linked by canals. Extra water storage

dams would be built along the course of these rivers. The purpose of this would be to transfer surplus water

from the Mahanadi and Godavari rivers to the south of India. Second, those rivers that flow west to the

north of Mumbai and the south of Tapi would be linked. Due to the irregular fluctuations in water levels in

the region, as much storage capacity would be built as possible. The water would be used by the urban

areas of Bombay and also to provide irrigation in the coastal areas of Maharashtra. Third

the Ken and Chambal rivers would be linked in order to provide better water facilities for Madhya

Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Finally a number of west-flowing rivers along the Western simply discharge into

the Arabian Sea. As many of these as possible would be diverted for irrigation purposes. The Peninsular

part of the project would provide additional irrigation to 130,000 square kilometres and generation an

additional 4 gig watts of power.

River Linking Project could be an environmental nightmare

The Benefits and costs of the ILR project envisage many benefits. It expects to add 34,000 MW Of hydro-

power to the national grid of which 3500 MW would be used in various lifts; supply much needed drinking

water to several million people and industrial water supplies to drought prone, water scarce cities in the west

and south; mitigate floods in the east and droughts in the west and the south. The large canals linking the

rivers are also expected to facilitate inland navigation too. This is expected to create employment and boost

crop output and farm incomes, and multiplier benefits through backward (farm equipment and input supplies)



48

and forward linkages (agro-processing industries).Many bold infrastructure investment proposals appear

financially “the life blood of developing and extant human settlements.”

The challenge that India’s ILR project faces is of negotiating and reconciling conflicting voices and aspirations

around a water enterprise of a scale, scope and socio-ecological complexity the world has never encountered

before issues increasingly entering the public discourse, planning and executing IBT projects has involved

not only engineering and technology but complex social management as well.

Annual floods, on the average, affect more than 7 million ha; 3 million ha cropped area and 34 million

people, Mostly in the eastern parts, inflicting annual damage of well over US$ 220 million (Rs 1000crores,

GOI 1998). In contrast, recurrent droughts affect 19 percent of the country, 68% of the cropped area and

12 percent of the population (Nair, R and Radhakrishna 2005).The reservoir storages and the canal diversions

in ILR are expected to reduce flood damages by 35 percent.

India by 2050 in the range of 425 to 494 million tons, and argued for increasing the country’s irrigation

potential to 160 million ha, 20 million more than what can be achieved without basin transfer. Thus, it is

stated “….one of the most effective ways to increase the irrigation potential for increasing the food grain

production, mitigate floods & droughts and reduce regional imbalances in the availability of water is the

interlinking of rivers to transfer water from the surplus rivers to deficit areas...”

Critics also point to the enormous costs conservatively estimated at some US$ 140b which India cannot

afford to spend. The question of managing displacement and rehabilitation of project-affected people in

water infrastructure projects will increasingly get benchmarked against road and other high-stake infrastructure

projects where economic costs of delays or inaction are far higher than irrigation projects. The Economic of

water scarcity will depend critically on the revenue model that it can implement to make water infrastructure

viable in economic terms. This raises big questions about how a huge infrastructure investment that ILR

implies would be financed and sustained.

In purely economic terms, public investments in irrigation can hardly be justified in today’s India. At the

aggregate level, the difference in gross value of output on an irrigated and unirrigated hectare is just about

US $ 100-120/year while it costs US $ 3500-4000 to bring an additional hectare under public irrigation.

This is because most command areas are used to grow food grains, while high value crops are grown

outside the command areas. In California, Spain, and Victoria in Australia, irrigation supports gross Value of

farm output of the order of US $ 5000-9000/ha because irrigated land is generally used for high value

export crops. Movement in this direction—of using reliable irrigation for growing high value crops for urban

markets and exports. Most Indian towns and cities depend largely on groundwater for running their water

supply systems.



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Experience around the world shows that a village grows into a town and thence into a city, it’s a real extent

grows at a much slower pace compared to its population; and as the population density of a settlement

rises, its groundwater fails to keep pace with water demand regardless of water harvesting and recharge.

Beyond a stage, a city invariably has to source its water from a distant reservoir. Indeed, growing cities and

hydro-power generation provide a much stronger socio-economic justification.

“The example is right in front of our eyes,”

Development is not about factories, dam and roads. Development is about people the goal is material,

cultural and spiritual fulfillment for the people. The human factor is of supreme value in development.



LIR PTH2

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