Lok Sabha Question No. 673 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-25
Subject: Inter-linking of Rivers in Bihar
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Kaushalendra Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 673

ANSWERED ON 25.07.2024

## INTER-LINKING OF RIVERS IN BIHAR

## †673. SHRI KAUSHALENDRA KUMAR

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government proposes to formulate any special scheme for interlinking of rivers in the country and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether any shortcomings have been identified in the schemes, implemented earlier and if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the Government is aware that Bihar has to face the havoc of devastating flood every year due to the water released into the rivers from the upper catchment area;

(d) if so, the details of the rivers being proposed to be inter-linked under the riverlinking project; and (e) the time stipulated for completion of the said project?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) The  Government  of  India  has  formulated  a  National  Perspective  Plan  (NPP)  for  Inter-linking  of Rivers (ILR) for transferring water from surplus basins to deficit basins/areas in 1980. National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has identified 30 links (16 under Peninsular Component and 14 under Himalayan  Component)  under  the  NPP,  out  of  which,  Detailed  Project  Reports  (DPRs)  of  11  link projects, Feasibility Reports (FRs) of 24 link projects and Pre-Feasibility Reports (PFRs) of all the 30 link projects have been completed.

The Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) is the first link under the NPP, implementation of which has been initiated after following the due consultative process between party States namely, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. In December, 2021, the Government of India approved for the implementation of this link project, with an estimated cost of Rs. 44,605 crore (year 2020-21 price level) and with a central support of Rs 39,317 crore, through a Special Purpose Vehicle, namely, the Ken-Betwa Link Project Authority (KBLPA). Details and current status of ILR projects under the NPP is given at Annexure.

(b) The biggest challenge in the way of implementation of the ILR projects is the consensus building amongst the party States.  Donor  States  (with  surplus  in  water  resources),  often  do  not  agree  to  such surpluses, resulting into difficulties in having the necessary agreements with the donee States. Generally, the donee States agrees to the link proposals, but tend to put forth excess demand of water. Concerted efforts  are  made  by  the  Government  of  India  at  various  levels  to  bring  the  party  States  to  mutual

understanding and consensus for implementation of the related ILR schemes.

(c) As per information provided by the Government of Bihar, the State is prone to frequent occurrence of floods, having flood prone area of 68.80 lakh hectare. Predominantly, the northern part of Bihar gets affected by floods every year due to heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas, which mainly lie in Nepal.

(d) Under the NPP, the ILR projects envisaged to benefit the State of Bihar, include Kosi-Mechi link, Kosi-Ghaghra  link,  Chunar-Sone  Barrage  link,  Sone  Dam-  Southern  Tributaries  of  Ganga  link  and Manas-Sankosh-Tista-Ganga (M-S-T-G) link. Details of these ILR projects are, inter alia, contained in the Annexure .

(e) Stipulation  of  time  for  completion  of  the  ILR  projects  comes  into  picture  after  the  party  States arrive  at  a  consensus  for  their  implementation.  It  is  for  the  party  States  to  arrive  at  a  consensus  for implementation of the above link projects.

## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 673 TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  25.07.2024  REGARDING  'INTER-LINKING  OF RIVERS IN BIHAR'.

## Details and Current Status of ILR projects under the NPP

## Peninsular Component

|   Sl. No | Name                                                                       | States benefited                          | Status                                         |
|----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | a. Mahanadi (Manibhadra) - Godavari (Dowlaiswaram) link                    | Andhra Pradesh (AP) &Odisha               | FR completed                                   |
|        1 | b. Alternate Mahanadi (Barmul) - Rushikulya - Godavari (Dowlaiswaram) link | AP& Odisha                                | FR completed                                   |
|        2 | Godavari (Polavaram) - Krishna (Vijayawada) link                           | AP                                        | FR completed                                   |
|        3 | a. Godavari (Inchampalli) - Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) link                  | Telangana                                 | FR completed                                   |
|        3 | b. Alternate Godavari (Inchampalli) - Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) link *      | Telangana                                 | DPR completed                                  |
|        4 | Godavari (Inchampalli/ SSMPP) - Krishna (Pulichintala) link                | Telangana &AP                             | DPR completed                                  |
|        5 | a. Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) - Pennar (Somasila ) link                      | AP                                        | FR completed                                   |
|        5 | b. Alternate Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) - Pennar (Somasila ) link *          | AP                                        | DPR completed                                  |
|        6 | Krishna (Srisailam) - Pennar link                                          | AP                                        | Draft DPR completed                            |
|        7 | Krishna (Almatti) - Pennar link                                            | AP &Karnataka                             | Draft DPR completed                            |
|        8 | a. Pennar (Somasila) - Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link                         | AP, Tamil Nadu& Puducherry                | FR completed                                   |
|        8 | b. Alternate Pennar (Somasila) - Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link *             | AP, Tamil Nadu& Puducherry                | DPR completed                                  |
|        9 | Cauvery (Kattalai) - Vaigai -Gundar link                                   | Tamil Nadu                                | DPR completed                                  |
|       10 | a. Parbati -Kalisindh - Chambal link                                       | MP &Rajasthan                             | FR completed                                   |
|       10 | b) Modified Parbati - Kalisindh-Chambal link (duly integrated with ERCP)   | MP &Rajasthan                             | Draft PFR completed                            |
|       11 | Damanganga - Pinjal link (As per DPR )                                     | Maharashtra (only water supply to Mumbai) | DPR completed                                  |
|       12 | Par-Tapi-Narmada link (As per DPR)                                         | Gujarat &Maharashtra                      | DPR completed                                  |
|       13 | Ken-Betwa link                                                             | Uttar Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh            | DPR completed& project is under implementation |
|       14 | Pamba - Achankovil - Vaippar link                                          | Tamil Nadu &Kerala                        | FR completed                                   |
|       15 | Bedti - Varda link                                                         | Karnataka                                 | DPR completed                                  |
|       16 | Netravati - Hemavati link**                                                | Karnataka                                 | PFR completed                                  |

* Due to pending consensus on Manibhadra and Inchampalli dams, Alternate study to divert unutilized waters  of  Godavari  river  was  carried  out  and  DPR  of  Godavari  (Inchampalli/  Janampet)  -  Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) - Pennar (Somasila) - Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link projects was completed. GodavariCauvery  (Grand  Anicut)  link  project  has  been  prepared  comprising  of  Godavari  (Inchampalli  / Janampet) -Krishna (Nagarjunasagar), Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) -Pennar (Somasila) and Pennar(Somasila)-Cauvery(Grand Anicut) link projects.
- ** Further  studies  are  not  taken  up  since  after  implementation  of  Yettinahole  project  by  Govt.  of Karnataka, no surplus water is available in Netravati basin for diversion through this link.

## Himalayan Component

|   Sl. No | Name                                                  | States / Countriesbenefited      | Status                                        |
|----------|-------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Kosi-Mechi link                                       | Bihar &Nepal                     | PFR completed                                 |
|        2 | Kosi-Ghaghra link                                     | Bihar, Uttar Pradesh (UP) &Nepal | FR completed                                  |
|        3 | Gandak - Ganga link                                   | UP &Nepal                        | FR completed and circulated                   |
|        4 | Ghaghra - Yamuna link                                 | UP &Nepal                        | Draft FR completed                            |
|        5 | Sarda - Yamuna link                                   | UP &Uttarakhand                  | FR completed                                  |
|        6 | Yamuna-Rajasthan link                                 | Haryana &Rajasthan               | FR completed                                  |
|        7 | Rajasthan-Sabarmati link                              | Rajasthan &Gujarat               | FR completed                                  |
|        8 | Chunar-Sone Barrage link                              | Bihar &UP                        | Draft FR completed                            |
|        9 | Sone Dam - Southern Tributaries of Ganga link         | Bihar &Jharkhand                 | Draft FR completed                            |
|       10 | Manas-Sankosh-Tista-Ganga (M-S-T-G) link              | Assam, West Bengal (WB) &Bihar   | FR completed                                  |
|       11 | Jogighopa-Tista-Farakka link (Alternative to M-S-T-G) | Assam, WB&Bihar                  | PFR completed (The proposal has been dropped) |
|       12 | Farakka-Sundarbans link                               | WB                               | FR completed                                  |
|       13 | Ganga(Farakka) - Damodar- Subarnarekha link           | WB, Odisha &Jharkhand            | FR completed                                  |
|       14 | Subarnarekha-Mahanadi link                            | WB&Odisha                        | FR completed                                  |

*****