Recently, honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Ken-Betwa River interlinking project in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh. This development reignited the discussion on the feasibility and environmental implications of the large-scale river interlinking projects. This essay will try to critically analyse the arguments in favour of such projects. Further, this will also examine the environmental implications of such project.

Evolution of the idea—
The idea of interlinking rivers goes back to 1858 when Captain Arthur Cotton, a British Army engineer, first proposed linking rivers through canals, mainly for inland navigation. Dr. K.L. Rao proposed the ‘Ganga-Cauvery Link Canal’ post-independence in 1972. In 1977, Captain Dinshaw J. Dastur proposed a “National Garland Canal” scheme.
However, the government considered both proposals to be not feasible for techno-economic reasons. In 1980, the Ministry of Irrigation (Now the Ministry of Water Resources) framed the National Perspective Plan (NPP) for inter-basin water transfer. The plan identified 30 link projects divided into two components: 14 Himalayan and 16 Peninsular link projects.

Subsequently, in 1982, the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) was set up to study and implement river interlinking projects. In 2002, in response to a Public Interest Litigation or PIL, the Supreme Court ordered the government to complete all river links within 12 years, bringing the issue to the forefront of political and legislative discussions.
Why have India or other countries moved towards the river interlinking projects?
The basic logic behind such projects is that the surplus water of one river can be transferred to the other river, which faces a deficit. As the water resources are unevenly distributed, large countries like China, India, and Europe have some water surplus basins and water deficit basins. Given the backdrop of climate change and rising weather extremities, these regions are facing floods and droughts, respectively.
Interlinking of rivers thus can bring a lot of fruitful results. One, like China’s South–North Water Transport Project (CSNWTP), it can provide the people living in deficit basins with the regular supply of drinking water and irrigation to support the agriculture, thus providing them with employment opportunities.

Two, it can resolve the issue of twin disasters: floods (in surplus basins) and droughts (in deficit basins) at the same time. Three, it can aid in navigation and development on inland water transport, like the Danube-Oder-Elbe Canal, which intends to connect the Black, Baltic, and North seas for navigation. Four, it can bring some respite in the context of groundwater extraction. If we are able to provide adequate surface water to the dry regions to support agriculture, then the groundwater exploitation may reduce. Five, it can add hydropower to the energy pool of the nation.
However, this idea requires a deeper analysis from the ecological and social perspective.
Flawed logic of surplus water
The basic logic of transferring ‘excess’ water and preventing it from getting ‘lost’ to sea is flawed. When it comes to ecology, it is not a simple plus and minus. Ecologically, there is no ‘extra’ or ‘free’ water in the basin. The elementary arithmetic rationalisations, such as tapping the ‘water lost to sea,’ do not consider the eco-hydrological dimensions of the issue. Flood water needs to be seen as the carrier of minerals for land fertility and silts to coastal water. River waters deposit the sediments in the low-lying areas with gentle gradients to form deltas. The diversion of the river might starve the low-lying deltas, impacting the species like mangroves.
The Indus Delta offers a crucial lesson. Alice Albinia, in her book, Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River (2008), narrates how a delta system at the mouth of the Indus—which was once “the richest in all Pakistan”—became impoverished when the British started barrage construction, which Pakistan continued after 1947.
Rivers are the freshwaters and therefore play a crucial role when it comes to the ocean chemistry. Alteration in salinity can impact the coastal marine species. Along with this, the coastal water temperature can get changed. Former Planning Commission member, Mihir Shah noted in a critique of India’s river-interlinking projects in the Economic and Political Weekly that in the Krishna River basin, water storage has reached total water yield with virtually no water going into the sea in low rainfall years.
Climate change has further challenged the notion of ‘surplus’ water. Increasing global temperatures, glacial retreat, and shifts in the rainfall pattern will not allow the ‘surplus’ basins to remain surplus for a very long period of time. All the major rivers are already experiencing changes in river regimes.
The current state of the Aral Sea — one of the world’s largest lakes — is another example of how geoengineering projects destroy natural systems. The lake has now become a howling desert after the rivers that sustained it were diverted by irrigation projects implemented during the heady days of the Soviet Union.
Flawed logic of disaster management
Proponents of river interlinking expect to tackle the ‘visible’ and ‘immediate’ disasters (floods and droughts) alone, but they forget about the underlying root causes of the disasters. Channelisation of rivers and building of dams and canals can disturb the ecological balance of the ecosystem. Deforestation, change in land use, and alteration in the distribution of surface water and sediment load can have detrimental impacts. Take, for example, the impoverishment of deltas, which can affect mangroves, which stand as the first line of defence against tropical cyclones, sea waves, and tsunamis. So in a way, policymakers thought about the riverine floods in the upstream areas but forgot about the cyclonic floods in the coastal areas!
Will not canal construction lead to habitat fragmentation leading to loss of biodiversity and thereby increasing ecological instability? Canals and reservoirs can alter the migratory routes of fish and other species. Ken-Betwa link project will submerge over 10 per cent of the core area of the Panna tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh. The region is also home to vultures, sloth bears and Ghariyals.
The channelisation of the Kissimmee River in the State of Florida, authorised by the U.S. Congress in 1954 to mitigate flooding, is an environmental disaster, resulting in the loss of wetlands. Massive resources are being spent to revive its original configuration.

Will not deforestation destabilise the rocks and intensify landslides? And what about the changes in evaporation rates? If the water is transferred from one basin to another,, it will alter evaporation, evapotranspiration, and soil moisture content in the local area. This may change the thermal contrast between ocean and land or in between different land regions, changing wind patterns and, subsequently, the moisture transport, which in turn may increase the erratic nature of the monsoon and fluctuations in rainfall.
The São Francisco River Integration Project in Brazil accelerated algae growth in part of the receiving reservoirs and increased algal bloom risks
Flawed logic of associated economic benefits
The project is very cost intensive. The central government wants to interlink 60 rivers at a cost of USD 87 billion. Providing the excess irrigation water to naturally water-deficit areas having a semi-arid climate to boost agriculture and create opportunities again ignores the long-term sustainability of the agriculture in the region. On one hand, we want to focus on the scientific selection of crops according to the agro-geo-climatic zones, and on the other hand, we are trying to alter the dry natural ecosystem by supplying water. Will it increase the productivity in the long run? Why can’t we accept that both the water surplus as well as the water deficit areas are parts of natural ecosystems? A study published in the Nature Journal found that increased irrigation from the transferred water reduces mean rainfall in September by up to 12% in already water-stressed regions of India.
Water transfers from the Lower River Murray in south Australia caused the water quality of the receiving water to deteriorate by increasing the turbidity and salinity, resulting in a rising cost of water treatment.
Other socio-Political dimensions
The construction of canals and reservoirs will cause significant social disruptions mainly due to the mass displacement of populations. Their rehabilitation and resettlement will be major challenges. Water is a state subject, and some conflicts exist among states regarding water-sharing-related issues. So, cooperation from the concerned states will also be needed.
Moreover, these projects are excessively expensive and may even surpass their initial cost estimates. Their implementation will burden the country’s economy. Also, such large-scale projects often suffer from time and cost overruns, diminishing their economic viability. Apart from economic viability, such large projects also raise social and environmental concerns.
So what should be done?
It should be understood that, no doubt, India naturally experiences uneven distribution of water resources but the solution does not lie in altering the natural phenomenon altogether. India’s water woes are more man-made than natural and therefore the solutions must cater to this fact.
First focus should be on reducing the demand of water. India is a growing economy and sustains the largest population. So this will not be an easy task. However there are areas where careful actions can lead the way. For example, agriculture is one such area. Focus should be given on climate friendly crops. Millets and pulses should be promoted in water deficit regions. Similarly, in the industrial sectors, focus should be given on waste water treatment. This can not only reduce the demand for ‘new’ water but also can enhance the supply of the existing water.

Further, Drought prone regions have a traditional network of irrigation that were always employed for harnessing water during crises. Khadins, baolis, ahar pyne systems were operational in the past. Focus must be given to revive and strengthen these systems.
The focus of India’s water resources should be about nurturing its Groundwater system. It should include identification and protection of groundwater recharge mechanisms, installation of artificial recharge and regulation of groundwater use at aquifer level.
Here, one should not forget about the Mihir Shah Committee’s recommendation on water governance in India focussing on creating National Water Commission, promoting participatory water governance and strengthening the role of Panchayati Raj Institutions.
Conclusion
River interlinking, while appearing to offer solutions to India’s water scarcity and disaster management challenges, raises significant ecological, economic, and social concerns that cannot be overlooked. The flawed logic of surplus water, the disruption of natural ecosystems, and the immense financial burden make it imperative to approach this issue with caution. Instead of altering natural systems on such a large scale, India must focus on sustainable and decentralized water management practices.
Reference & credits:
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-41668-x#:~:text=This%20study%20shows%20that%20river,basins%20while%20planning%20hydrological%20projects.
- https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/river-interlinking-the-fount-of-environmental-disaster/article69077414.ece#:~:text=Politicians%20are%20now%20touting%20the,Godavari%20and%20Krishna%20river%20valleys.
- https://indianexpress.com/article/upsc-current-affairs/upsc-essentials/river-interlinking-a-solution-to-water-scarcity-and-drive-development-9782430/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S209580992300245X