Lok Sabha Question No. 3358 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-12
Subject: Wainganga-Nalganga River Linking Project
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Dr. Bachhav Shobha Dinesh, Shri Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3358

ANSWERED ON 12.03.2026

## WAINGANGA-NALGANGA RIVER LINKING PROJECT

## 3358. Dr. BACHHAV SHOBHA DINESH:

## SHRI SANJAY UTTAMRAO DESHMUKH:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) the present status of the National River Linking Project (NRLP);

(b) whether the Government has approved the 463 kms Wainganga-Nalganga river linking project and if so, the details thereof along with the districts covered under the said project;

(c) whether the Government is aware that large parts of Maharashtra suffer from malnutrition due to lack of irrigation and if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether several regions have been excluded from NRLP despite serious irrigation issues and if so, the reasons therefor; and

(e) the steps being taken by the Government to include such districts under the said project including Washim district?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) The  Government of India has formulated the National Perspective Plan (NPP) for interlinking of rivers, under which 30 Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) projects comprising 16 Peninsular and 14 Himalayan links  have  been  identified  to  address  water  scarcity  and  augment  irrigation  and  other  water-related benefits across the country. The National Water Development Agency (NWDA), the nodal agency for this programme, has completed Pre-Feasibility Reports (PFRs) for all 30 links, Feasibility Reports (FRs) for 26 links, and Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for 11 links. The status of these 30 link projects under the NPP is enclosed at Annexure .

(b) NWDA has prepared the PFR and subsequently the DPR of the Wainganga-Nalganga river linking project and submitted it to the Government of Maharashtra. As informed by the State Government, the project  has  been  accorded  in-principal  approval  by  the  State  Government.  The  project  proposes diversion  of  1,804.78  MCM   of  water from  the  Gosikhurd  Project  on  the  Wainganga  River  to  the Nalganga basin through  a  388.28  km  link  canal,  to  provide irrigation  benefits  over  4,04,281  hectares in eight districts, i.e., Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Yavatmal, Akola, Buldhana, Washim, and Bhandara.

(c) Matters relating to malnutrition fall primarily within the purview of the health and social welfare sectors.  However,  the  Government  recognises  that  improved  irrigation  contributes  to  agricultural stability, and projects such as the Wainganga-Nalganga link are expected to enhance water availability in drought-prone regions of Maharashtra.

(d)  &  (e) The  identification  of  ILR  projects  under  the  National  Perspective  Plan  is  based  on hydrological feasibility, water balance studies, technical parameters, and interstate considerations. The State  Government has informed that no regions have been excluded from the NPP. The WaingangaNalganga River Linking Project already includes the Washim district among its beneficiary districts.

***

## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3358  TO  BE  ANSWERED  IN  LOK  SABHA  ON  12.03.2026  REGARDING  'WAINGANGANALGANGA RIVER LINKING PROJECT'.

## Details and current status of ILR projects under the NPP

## Peninsular Component

|   Sl. No | Name                                                                   | States benefited                          | Status                                                    |
|----------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Mahanadi (Manibhadra) - Godavari (Dowlaiswaram) link                   | Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Odisha            | FR completed                                              |
|        1 | Alternate Mahanadi (Barmul)- Rushikulya-Godavari Dowlaiswaram) link    | AP and Odisha                             | FR completed                                              |
|        2 | Godavari (Polavaram) - Krishna (Vijayawada) link@                      | AP, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana  | 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 and 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                                        | DPR Completed                                             |
|        7 | Krishna (Almatti) - Pennar link                                        | Karnataka &AP                             | DPR completed                                             |
|        8 | a.) Pennar (Somasila) - Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link                    | AP, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry             | FR completed                                              |
|        8 | b.) Alternate Pennar (Somasila) - Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link *        | AP, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry             | DPR completed                                             |
|        9 | Cauvery (Kattalai) - Vaigai -Gundar link                               | Tamil Nadu                                | DPR completed                                             |
|       10 | Parbati -Kalisindh - Chambal link                                      | Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Rajasthan         | FR completed                                              |
|       10 | b) Modified Parbati - Kalisindh-Chambal link                           | MP and Rajasthan                          | MoA for implementation has been signed by both the States |
|       11 | Damanganga - Pinjal link                                               | Maharashtra (only water supply to Mumbai) | DPR completed and dropped from status of 'priority links' |
|       12 | Par-Tapi-Narmada link                                                  | Gujarat and Maharashtra                   | DPR completed and dropped from status of 'priority links' |
|       13 | Ken-Betwa link                                                         | Uttar Pradesh (UP) and MP                 | DPR completed and project is under implementation         |
|       14 | Pamba - Achankovil - Vaippar link                                      | Tamil Nadu and 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,  Phase-I  of  Project  to  divert unutilized  waters  of  Godavari  river,  Study  was  carried  out  and  DPR  of  Godavari  (Inchampalli)  Krishna  (Nagarjunasagar)  -  Pennar  (Somasila)  -  Cauvery  (Grand  Anicut)  link  projects  (combined) called  as  Godavari-Cauvery link was completed. The report has  further  been updated terminating the link canal at Manimukhtanadi, a Tributary of Vellar river flowing adjacent to Cauvery basin.
- @@ Bedti - Varda Link - DPR was prepared directly after preparation of its PFR, no FR was prepared.
- @  Godavari  (Polavaram)  -  Krishna  (Vijayawada)  Link-  the  project  has  been  taken  up  by  Govt.  of Andhra Pradesh and is under execution by Polavaram Project Authority.
- ***  Netravati  -  Hemavati  link:  Further  studies  not  taken  up  after  PFR  preparation  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 and Nepal                     | PFR completed                                 |
|        2 | Kosi-Ghaghra link                                     | Bihar, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Nepal | FR completed                                  |
|        3 | Gandak - Ganga link                                   | UP and Nepal                        | FR completed                                  |
|        4 | Ghaghra - Yamuna link                                 | UP and Nepal                        | FR completed                                  |
|        5 | Sarda - Yamuna link                                   | UP and Uttarakhand                  | FR completed                                  |
|        6 | Yamuna-Rajasthan link                                 | Haryana and Rajasthan               | FR completed                                  |
|        7 | Rajasthan-Sabarmati link                              | Rajasthan and Gujarat               | FR completed                                  |
|        8 | Chunar - Sone Barrage link                            | Bihar and UP                        | FR completed                                  |
|        9 | Sone Dam - Southern Tributaries of Ganga link         | Bihar and Jharkhand                 | Draft FR completed                            |
|       10 | Manas-Sankosh-Tista-Ganga (M-S-T-G) link              | Assam, West Bengal and Bihar        | FR completed                                  |
|       11 | Jogighopa-Tista-Farakka link (Alternative to M-S-T-G) | Assam, WBand Bihar                  | PFR completed (The proposal has been dropped) |
|       12 | Farakka-Sundarbans link                               | WB                                  | FR completed                                  |
|       13 | Ganga (Farakka) - Damodar- Subarnarekha link          | WB, Odisha and Jharkhand            | FR completed                                  |
|       14 | Subarnarekha-Mahanadi link                            | WBand Odisha                        | FR completed                                  |

*****