Nod for Ken-Betwa link project

Syllabus: General Studies Paper 3

Context:

The Union Cabinet recently approved the funding and implementation of the Ken-Betwa river interlinking project at a cost of ₹44,605 crore at the 2020-21 price level.

Key Highlights of the project

• The Centre would fund ₹39,317 crore for the project, with ₹36,290 crore as a grant and ₹3,027 crore as a loan.
• The project involves transferring of water from the Ken river to the Betwa river through the construction of Daudhan dam and a canal linking the two rivers, the Lower Orr Project, Kotha Barrage and the Bina Complex Multipurpose Project.
• The project is slated to irrigate 10.62 lakh hectares annually, provide drinking water supply to 62 lakh people and generate 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar power. The project is proposed to be completed in eight years.

Benefits

• The project will be of immense benefit to the water-starved Bundelkhand region, spread across Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
• The project is expected to boost socio-economic prosperity in the backward Bundelkhand region on account of increased agricultural activities and employment generation.
• It would also help in arresting distress migration from this region.

Challenges

• Several obstacles have dogged the project. For one, the project will partly submerge the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh and affect the habitat of vultures and jackals.
• After years of protests, it was finally cleared by the apex wildlife regulator, the National Board for Wildlife, in 2016.
• Then Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh reached an agreement on how water would be shared in March 2021.

The Hindu link-

https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/cabinet-nod-for-ken-betwa-project/article37906445.ece

Question- Write a short note on benefits of interlinking of rivers with respect to Ken Betwa link project.