UPSC Mains 2020 GS Paper 1 Q14: model answer

The National Perspective Plan (1980) proposed 30 links, 16 Himalayan and 14 peninsular, to move about 174 BCM of water from surplus to deficit basins. In 2021 the Ken–Betwa link became the first project approved for construction.

Expected benefits

• Drought: irrigation for about 35 million hectares; water for drought-prone Bundelkhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat and the Deccan.
• Floods: diverting peak flows from the Ganga and Brahmaputra basins could reduce flood damage in Bihar and Assam.
• Navigation: canals connecting rivers could create long inland waterways.
• Hydropower of about 34,000 MW; drinking water for cities.

Problems

• Cost estimated at well over ₹5.6 lakh crore (2002 prices), and long delays.
• Ecology: Ken–Betwa will submerge part of Panna Tiger Reserve; changes to river flows harm deltas, fisheries and estuaries.
• Displacement of lakhs of people, often tribal communities, with a poor record of rehabilitation.
• Doubtful 'surplus': climate change and growing demand mean surplus rivers may not stay surplus; flood peaks are brief and need huge storage.
• Inter-state disputes: Kerala, Odisha and others oppose transfers; water is a state subject.
• International issues: Himalayan links involve Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
• Engineering: lifting water over the Vindhyas, sediment and seismic risks.
• Navigation benefit is limited where canals run dry or need locks.
• Evaporation and seepage losses from long open canals.

Alternatives

• Local storage, watersheds, recharge, wetland restoration and flood zoning.
• Efficient irrigation and crop diversification, which save water at far lower cost.
• Better flood forecasting and embankment management in Bihar and Assam.

Verdict

Interlinking can help specific regions if projects are chosen carefully, but it is not a single 'viable solution' to all three problems. A mix of small and large solutions, decided basin by basin, is wiser.