Lok Sabha Question No. 2406 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-13
Subject: River-Linking Projects and their Environmental Impact
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Balram Naik Porika

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2406

ANSWERED ON 13.03.2025

## RIVER-LINKING PROJECTS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

## 2406. SHRI BALRAM NAIK PORIKA

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a)  the  measures  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  address  groundwater  depletion  and  water conservation; and

(b) the status of major river-linking projects and their environmental impact assessments?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) Water being a State subject, the planning, funding, and execution of water resources projects are primarily a responsibility of the State Governments, based on their resources and priorities. The role of the  Government  of  India  is  largely  catalytic,  providing  technical  support  and,  in  some  cases,  partial financial assistance under the existing schemes of the Government of India.

To address groundwater depletion and promote water conservation, the Government of India has launched initiatives such as the Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) and Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB). Bureau of  Water  Use  Efficiency  (BWUE)  has  also  been  established  to  promote  efficient  water  use  across various  sectors. Apart  from  this,  the  Government  of  India  has  successfully  completed  the  National Aquifer Mapping (NAQUIM) Project across the entire mappable area of about 25 lakh square kilometer in  the  country  and   aquifer  maps  and  management  plans,  incorporating  various  water  conservation measures through recharge structures, have been accordingly developed and shared with the respective State agencies for implementation.

Furthermore,  a  Master  Plan  for  Artificial  Recharge  to  Groundwater-2020  has  been  prepared  in consultation with the States and the Union Territories. This macro-level plan outlines suitable recharge structures based on different terrain conditions across the country and envisages construction of about 1.42  crore  rainwater  harvesting  and  artificial  recharge  structures  to  harness  about  185  Billion  Cubic Meters  (BCM)  of  monsoon  rainfall.  Apart  from  this,  under  the  Ground  Water  Management  & Regulation  (GWM&R)  scheme,  the  Government  of  India  has  also  implemented  several  successful demonstrative artificial recharge projects aimed at rejuvenating groundwater levels.

Additionally, the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), launched by the Government of India in 2015, inter alia , also focuses on promoting sustainable water conservation practices.

(b) Under the National Perspective Plan (NPP), formulated by the Government of India in 1980, for transfer of water from the water-surplus basins to the water-deficit basins/ regions across the country, 30 Inter-Linking  of  Rivers  (ILR)  projects  have  been  identified  -  16  projects  under  the  Peninsular component and 14 projects under the Himalayan component. The latest Status of these ILR projects is given at Annexure .

Further, for every ILR project, a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study is done during  the  preparation  of  Feasibility  Reports  (FRs)  and  Detailed  Project  Reports  (DPRs).  EIA  study aims  at  identifying  the  positive  and  negative  impacts  of  the  project  on  the  physical,  biological,  and socio-economic environment. A detailed study is done on soil type, climate type, groundwater quality, biological  environment,  floral  diversity,  Forests  and  Wildlife,  Groundwater  Recharge,  Change  of hydrological  regime  of  the  river,  Public  health  aspects,  Employment  Potential  generated,  Project Affected  Families,  Submergence  area,  etc.  and  other  socio-economic  characteristics  at  the  stage  of preparation of DPRs and the Environment Management Plan to mitigate the assessed impacts.

***

## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2406 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 13.03.2025 REGARDING 'RIVER-LINKING PROJECTS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT'.

## 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                                       | Madhya Pradesh (MP) &Rajasthan | FR completed                                    |
|       10 | b. Modified Parbati - Kalisindh-Chambal link (duly integrated with ERCP)   | MP &Rajasthan                  | Draft PFR completed                             |
|       11 | Damanganga - Pinjal link                                                   | Maharashtra                    | DPR completed                                   |
|       12 | Par-Tapi-Narmada link                                                      | Gujarat & Maharashtra          | DPR completed                                   |
|       13 | Ken-Betwa link                                                             | Uttar Pradesh (UP)&MP          | 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,  an  Alternate  study  to  divert  unutilized waters  of  the  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 have not been taken up since after the implementation of the Yettinahole project by Govt. of Karnataka, no surplus water is available in the Netravati basin for diversion through this link.

@ Godavari (Polavaram) - Krishna (Vijayawada) link - The project has been taken up by the Government of Andhra Pradesh.

@@ Bedti - Varda link - DPR was prepared directly after the preparation of its PFR, no FR was prepared.

## Himalayan Component

|   Sl. No | Name                                                  | States / Countries benefited   | Status                                        |
|----------|-------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Kosi-Mechi link                                       | Bihar &Nepal                   | PFR completed                                 |
|        2 | Kosi-Ghaghra link                                     | Bihar, 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 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                                  |

*****