Ken-Betwa link project
News
The Union Cabinet approved the funding and implementation of the Ken-Betwa river interlinking project at a cost of ₹44,605 crores at the 2020-21 price level.
The Centre would fund ₹39,317 crores for the project, with ₹36,290 crores as a grant and ₹3,027 crores as a loan.
The project involves transferring of water from the Ken river to the Betwa river through the construction of the 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.
About: Interlinking of Rivers
It is a proposed large-scale civil engineering project that aims to link Indian rivers by a network of reservoirs and canals
Consequently, reduce persistent floods in some parts and water shortages in other parts of India.
3 parts:
- A northern Himalayan river inter-link component
- A southern Peninsular component
- Intrastate rivers linking component
The project is being managed by India's National Water Development Agency (NWDA), under its Ministry of Jal Shakti.
NWDA has studied and prepared reports on 14 inter-link projects for the Himalayan component, 16 inter-link projects for the Peninsular component and 37 intrastate river linking projects.
Ken-Betwa project
Will transfer surplus water from the Uttar Pradesh section of the Ken to the Betwa in Madhya Pradesh are critical to irrigate nearly 7,00,000 hectares in drought-ravaged Bundelkhand.
The project will in fact make green the denuded forests of the Panna reserve and create freshwater reservoirs and attract herbivores that would serve as prey for tigers.