Lok Sabha Question No. 810 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-07
Subject: Declaration of ILR Projects as National Projects
Ministry: WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANAGA REJUVENATION
Asked by: SHIVAJI ADHALRAO PATIL, Shrirang Appa Barne, ANANDRAO  ADSUL, SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE, VINAYAK BHAURAO RAUT

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA UN STARRED QUESTION NO. 810

ANSWERED ON 07.0 2.201 9

## DECLARATION OF ILR P ROJECTS AS NATIONAL PROJECTS

810. SHRI ADHALRAO PATIL SHIVAJIRAO SHRI ANANDRAO ADSUL SHRI VINAYAK BHAURAO RAUT

SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BARNE DR. SHRIKANT EKNATH SHINDE

Will  the  Minister  of  WATER  RESOURCES,  RIVER  DEVELOPMENT  AND  GANGA REJUVENATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether Inter Linking of Rivers (ILR) helps in harvesting rainwater effectively and provides solution to our water scarcity woes and if so, the facts thereof;

(b) whether there is any proposal to declare all Inter - linking of River projects in the country as National Projects in a bid to expedite their implementation through quick flow of funds monitoring on the ground and if so, the details thereof;

(c)  whether  the  Union  Government  is  framing  any  criteria  for  the  purpose  especially backdrop of the Ministry's decision to begin works on three identified rivers' linking projects;

(d) if so, the details thereof along with the names of identified r ivers linking projects; and

(e)  whether  the  Union  Government  has  resolved  all  the  issues  to  make  interlinking  of reality and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE  MINISTER  OF  STATE  FOR  WATER  RESOURCES, RIVER  DEVELOPMENT  AND GANGA REJUVENATION & PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

( SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHW AL )

(a) The Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) projects have been planned to transfer waters from basins  to  deficit  basins  to  check  the  regional  imbalances  in  availability  of  water, rainfall patt ern, etc. Interlinking of river projects envisages construction of reservoirs will store more rain water and help in harvesting rainwater effectively and provides a water scarcity woes.

(b)Ken - Betwa (K- B) link project was declared as a National Project by Government of India in February, 2008, as per the then existing norms for consideration of any project as Nation No  other  Inter - linking  of  Rivers  (ILR)  project  has  so  far  been  declared  as  National Project. MoWR,  RD & GR  has  constituted  a  Group  on  Financial  Aspects  under  Task  Force  for  I projects.  One of the terms of reference of this group is 'to study the options of declaring some of the inter basin water transfer links of NPP as National Project on the pattern of K B link'. The Group  has  submitted  its  interim  report  and  the  Chairman,  Task  Force -ILR  has  submitted  the interim report in November, 2018 to MoWR, RD & GR.

(c) & (d) Based on the concurrence of the concerned States, DPRs of KBLP Phase -I & Phase - II, Damanganga - Pinjal  link  project  and  Par - Tapi - Narmada  link  project  have  been  completed.  The techno - economic  clearance  and  various  statutory  clearances  of  the  KBLP  Phase -I  have  been accorded  except  clearance  from  Central  Empowered  Committee  (CEC)  o f  the  Supreme  Court. Based  on  the  request  of  Government  of  Madhya  Pradesh,  Lower  Orr  dam,  Bina  complex  an Kotha barrage projects have been included in KBLP Phase -II. Th  DPR of these projects have been completed by NWDA/Government of Madhya Pradesh. The E nvironmental Clearance and Forest  Land  Diversion  Clearances  for  Lower  Orr  dam  have  been  recommended  by  Exper Appraisal  Committee  and  Forest  Advisory  Committee  of  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest Climate Change (MoEF & CC) respectively. Clearance for Re settlement and Rehabilitation plan of Project Affected Families has also been accorded by Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) su certain conditions. Environmental clearance and Stage -I&II clearances for Bina complex projects have  been  accorded  by  MoE F  &  CC.  The  draft  Memorandum  of  Agreement  (MoA)  for implementation of Ken - Betwa Link Project has been sent to Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Prades for concurrence. The techno - economic clearance of the Damanganga - Pinjal link project has also been  accorded,  subj ect  to  statutory  clearances.  The  DPR  of  Par - Tapi - Narmada  link  project  has been completed by NWDA. The combined draft MoA for implementation of Damanganga - Pinjal and Par - Tapi - Narmada  Link  has  been  sent  to  Maharashtra  and  Gujarat  State  Governments  f concurrence.

The names of river linking projects indicating rivers and the States concerned are Annexure .

(e) The  ILR  programme  has  been  taken  up  on  priority.  The  Government  is  pursuing  the program  in  a  consultative  manner.    A  'Special  Committee  on  Interlinking  of  Rivers'  has  been constituted in September, 2014 under the Chairmanship of Hon`ble Minister of WR, RD&GR the implementation of ILR programme. Fifteen meetings of the Special Committee for ILR been  held  so  far  (last  meeting  held on  20.08.2018),  wherein  State  Irrigation/  Water  Resource Ministers along with Secretaries of various States participated. The Special Committee takes  into  consideration  the  suggestions/observations  of  the  stakeholders  while  plan formulatin g  the  ILR  projects.  Vigorous  efforts  have  been  made  for  generating  consensus development  of  alternative  plans  and  also  setting  out  road  maps  for  implementation  of projects. Further, a Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers has been constituted b y MoWR, RD & GR in April, 2015. Ten meetings of the Task Force for interlinking of rivers have been h and the last meeting was held on 05.10.2018.

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART ( c) & ( d) OF UNSTARRED QUEST ION NO. 810 TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LO K  SABHA  ON  07.02.201 9  REGARDING  'DECLARA TION  OF  ILR PROJECTS AS NATIONAL PROJECTS'.

## Names of Inter Basin Water Transfer Links, the States involved, name of rivers and status of Reports/Detailed Project Report

| Sl. No               | Name                                                   | R ivers                      | States concerned                                                                                   | Status of PFR/FR/DPR          |
|----------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------|
| Peninsular Component | Peninsular Component                                   | Peninsular Component         | Peninsular Component                                                                               | Peninsular Component          |
| 1                    | Mahanadi (Manibhadra) - Godavari (Dowlaiswaram) link   | Mahanadi & Godavari          | Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, & Chattisgarh                                      | FR Completed                  |
| 2                    | Godavari (Inchampalli) - Krishna (Pulichintala)        | link Godavari & Krishna      | - do-                                                                                              | FR Completed                  |
| 3                    | Godavari (Inchampalli) - Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) link | Godavari & Krishna           | Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka & Chattisgarh,                      | FR Completed                  |
| 4                    | Godavari (Polavaram) - Krishna (Vijayawada)            | link Godavari & Krishna      | Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, & Chattisgarh                                      | FR Completed                  |
| 5                    | Krishna (Almatti) - Pennar link                        | Krishna & Pennar             | - do-                                                                                              | FR Completed                  |
| 6                    | Krishna (Srisailam) - Pennar link                      | Krishna & Pennar             | - do-                                                                                              | FR Completed                  |
| 7                    | Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) - Pennar (Somasila ) link     | Krishna & Pennar             | Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh& Karnataka,                                                            | FR Completed                  |
| 8                    | Pennar (Somasila) - Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link        | Pennar & Cauvery             | Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala & Puducherry                                         | FR Completed                  |
| 9                    | Cauvery (Kattalai) -Vaigai - Gundar link               | Cauvery, Vaigai & Gundar     | Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala & Puducherry                                                         | FR Completed                  |
| 10                   | Ken -Betwa link                                        | Ken & Betwa                  | Uttar Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh                                                                     | FR & DPR (Ph- I&II) Completed |
| 11                   | Parbati - Kalisindh - Chambal link                     | Parbati, Kalisindh & Chambal | Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan & Uttar Pradesh (UP requested to be consulted during consensus building) | FR Completed                  |
| 12                   | Par - Tapi - Narmada link                              | Par, Tapi & Narmada          | Maharashtra & Gujarat                                                                              | FR & DPR Completed            |
| 13                   | Damanganga -Pinjal link                                | Damanganga & Pinjal          | Maharashtra & Gujarat                                                                              | FR & DPR Completed            |
| 14                   | Bedti-Varda link                                       | Bedti & Varda                | Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka                                                            | PFR Completed                 |
| 15                   | Netravati - Hemavati link                              | Netravati & Hemavati         | Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & Kerala                                                                     | PFR Completed                 |
| 16                   | Pamba -Achankovil- Vaippar link                        | Pamba, Achankovil & Vaippar  | Kerala & Tamil Nadu,                                                                               | FR Completed                  |

Contd…

| Sl. No              | Name                                                       | R ivers                        | States concerned                                              | Status of PFR/FR/DPR                     |
|---------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| Himalayan Component | Himalayan Component                                        | Himalayan Component            | Himalayan Component                                           | Himalayan Component                      |
| 1.                  | Manas - Sankosh- Tista - Ganga (M-S- T-G) link             | Manas - Sankosh- Tista - Ganga | Assam, West Bengal, Bihar& Bhutan                             | PFR completed                            |
| 2.                  | Kosi- Ghaghra link                                         | Kosi & Ghaghra                 | Bihar , Uttar Pradesh & Nepal                                 | PFR completed                            |
| 3.                  | Gandak-Ganga link                                          | Gandak & Ganga                 | - do-                                                         | Draft FR completed (Indian portion)      |
| 4.                  | Ghaghra- Yamuna link                                       | Ghaghra & Yamuna               | - do-                                                         | FR completed (Indian portion)            |
| 5.                  | Sarda - Yamuna link                                        | Sarda & Yamuna                 | Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand & Nepal | FR completed (Indian portion)            |
| 6.                  | Yamuna - Rajasthan link                                    | Yamuna & Sukri                 | Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana & Rajasthan                   | Draft FR completed                       |
| 7.                  | Rajasthan - Sabarmati link                                 | Sabarmati                      | - do-                                                         | Draft FR completed                       |
| 8.                  | Chunar- Sone Barrage link                                  | Ganga & Sone                   | Bihar & Uttar Pradesh                                         | Draft FR completed                       |
| 9.                  | Sone Dam - Southern Tributaries of Ganga                   | link Sone & Badua              | Bihar & Jharkhand                                             | PFR completed                            |
| 10.                 | Ganga(Farakka) - Damodar - Subernarekha link               | Ganga, Damodar & Subernarekha  | West Bengal, Odisha & Jharkhand                               | Draft FR completed                       |
| 11.                 | Subernarekha - Mahanadi link                               | Subernarekha & Mahanadi        | West Bengal & Odisha                                          | Draft FR Completed                       |
| 12.                 | Kosi- Mechi link                                           | Kosi &Mechi                    | Bihar , West Bengal & Nepal                                   | PFR completed Entirely lies in Nepal     |
| 13.                 | Ganga (Farakka) - Sunderbans link                          | Ganga & Ichhamati              | West Bengal                                                   | Draft FR completed                       |
| 14.                 | Jogighopa -Tista - Farakka link (Alternative to M - S-T-G) | Manas, Tista Ganga             | - do-                                                         | (Alternative to M - S-T- G Link) dropped |

- PFR -Pre  Feasibility Report
- FR -Feasibility Report
- DPR -Detailed Project Report