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Ken-Betwa Project
Why is it in News?
- Congress President Sonia Gandhi asked Union Minister for Environment to reconsider the Ken-Betwa river linking project in present form.
Ken-Betwa Project:
- 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 project is expected to provide annual irrigation of 10.62 lakh hectares, drinking water supply to about 62 lakh people and also generate 103 MW of hydropower.
- Benefits:
(1) Project lies in Bundelkhand, a drought-prone region, which spreads across 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
(2) The project will be of immense benefit to the water-starved region of Bundelkhand.
(3) It will pave the way for more interlinking of river projects to ensure that scarcity of water does not become an inhibitor for development.
(4) It will provide a drinking water supply to a population of a 62 lakh. (41 lakh in MP and 21 lakh in UP).
- Impact on Panna Tiger Reserve:
(1) 4,206 ha of area of the submerged area lies within the core tiger habitat of Panna Tiger Reserve.
Source: The Hindu