Lok Sabha Question No. 1644 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-01
Subject: Status of  Inter-linking of Rivers
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Ram Shiromani Verma

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

## DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1644

## ANSWERED ON 01.08.2024

## STATUS OF INTER-LINKING OF RIVERS

## †1644.   SHRI RAM SHIROMANI VERMA

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) the status of the inter-linking of rivers projects in the country at present;

(b) whether any Committee has been constituted by the Government on the said matter;

(c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and

(d) the action taken by the Government to receive the final approval for initiating the work on each of the said projects, project-wise and the funds earmarked for the implementation of the sanctioned projects?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) National  Water  Development Agency (NWDA) has been entrusted with the work of Interlinking of Rivers  (ILR)  under  the  National  Perspective  Plan  (NPP)  formulated  by  the  Government  of  India  in  year 1980. Under the NPP, a total of 30 link projects have been identified, 16 link projects under the Peninsular Component and 14 link projects under the Himalayan component. The Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) of all 30 links, Feasibility Report (FR) of 24 links and Detailed Project Report of 11 links have been completed. The detailed status of the ILR projects under the NPP is furnished at Annexure .

(b)  &  (c) On  the  directions  of  the  Supreme  Court,  the  Government  of  India  constituted  a  Committee, namely, the Special Committee on Interlinking of Rivers (SCILR), under the chairmanship of the Minister for  Water  Resources  (now,  Jal  Shakti),  in  September,  2014,  to  streamline  the  decision  making  process  in respect  of  the  ILR  programme.  The  SCILR  reviews  the  progress  of  the  programme  regularly  with  the representatives from the State Governments. Till date, 21 meetings of the SCILR have been held.

Further,  Department of Water Resources, River  Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR), Ministry of Jal Shakti has constituted a Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers (TFILR) for expediting the works under the ILR Programme. Till date, the TFILR has held 19 meetings.

(d) The Ken-Betwa Link project (KBLP) is the first and only ILR project under the NPP, which is under implementation on the ground. The Government of India approved for the implementation of the KBLP in December,  2021,  with  an  estimated  cost  of  Rs  44,605  crore  (year  2020-21  price  level),  with  a  Central Support  of  Rs  39,317  crore,  through  a  Special  Purpose  Vehicle,  namely,  the  Ken-Betwa  Link  Project Authority  (KBLPA).  The  initial  focus  is  on  preparatory  activities  like,  land  acquisition  and  statutory clearances. The project is to be completed by March, 2030. An expenditure of Rs 9,105.01 crore has been made on the project up to June, 2024. A provision of Rs. 4,000 crore has been kept in the Union budget for the project for the current financial year 2024-25.

The ILR programme has been accorded top priority and it is being pursued by the Government of India in a consultative manner. Government of India has made concerted efforts for bringing the party States to reach a consensus on issues like water sharing, etc in respect of various ILR projects. It is for the party States to arrive at a consensus for implementation of the ILR projects.

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1644 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 01.08.2024 REGARDING 'STATUS OF INTER-LINKING OF RIVERS'.

## 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 / Countries benefited     | 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            |
|        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              | linkBihar &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 (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            |

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