Chandigarh, Jan 3 (IANS) The river-interlinking initiative proposed by the Union government warrants comprehensive review and needs to be thoroughly examined, said Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan on Friday, while characterising this initiative as an unprecedented intervention in natural systems.
He cautioned that such projects could adversely impact agricultural productivity and disrupt monsoon patterns.
In an official statement here, Sandhwan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated the Ken-Betwa River Interlinking Project in Madhya Pradesh.
“Although the Union government said the objective of redistributing water resources to drought-prone regions,” the Speaker said, adding that scientific research indicates such interventions could significantly alter natural hydrological systems.
The Speaker expressed concerns that large-scale hydrological modifications could disrupt established monsoon patterns, potentially endangering agricultural sustainability and affecting multiple sectors nationwide.
He advocated for prioritising water conservation and recycling initiatives, asserting the critical need for implementing advanced water treatment and purification programs.
The Ken-Betwa Link Project is the inaugural project of 30 planned initiatives under the National Perspective Plan, orchestrated by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti for water resource development and river connectivity.
This project is supposed to channelise surplus water from Madhya Pradesh’s Ken river to Uttar Pradesh’s Betwa river, intended to enhance irrigation capabilities in the drought-susceptible Bundelkhand region.
The Ken-Betwa River linking project is expected to address the drinking and irrigation water needs of at least 10 districts of Madhya Pradesh and various districts of Uttar Pradesh.
The project is aimed at generating more than 100 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar energy.
The project is expected to benefit 4.4 million people in 10 districts of Madhya Pradesh and 2.1 million in 12 districts of Uttar Pradesh, which jointly form the water-scarce Bundelkhand region.
The project, which received a boost after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister in 2014, is the largest irrigation project in the country involving an underground pressurised pipe irrigation system.
–IANS
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