Maarg Manthan · Topic 6.16

Interlinking of Rivers Projects and Challenges with Ageing Dams

Geography › Oceanography · Topic 6.16

Interlinking of rivers is the plan to transfer water from rivers with surplus water to those with a shortage, by linking them through canals and reservoirs. The National Perspective Plan of 1980 identified 30 links, 16 in the Peninsular component and 14 in the Himalayan component, and the National Water Development Agency studies them. The Ken-Betwa link is the first project to start, with work beginning in December 2024. Related concerns are the safety of India's ageing dams, regulated by the Dam Safety Act, 2021.

6 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Oceanography

At a Glance

Plan National Perspective Plan, 1980
Links 30: 16 Peninsular and 14 Himalayan
Agency National Water Development Agency
First project Ken-Betwa link
Dam law Dam Safety Act, 2021
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Oceanography

Where Does It Fit?

This topic closes the macro on oceanography with two large water infrastructure issues of India. It follows the topic on water resources and prepares for the topics on rivers and dams in the macro on the physical geography of India. Previous topic: Water Resources: Utilization, Water Contamination, Conservation Methods. Next topic: Soil: Characteristics and Factors Responsible for Soil Formation.

What Is the Plan for Interlinking of Rivers?

In short: the plan moves water from surplus basins to deficit basins to reduce both floods and droughts.

Origin: the idea goes back to Sir Arthur Cotton in the 19th century, and was revived by K. L. Rao’s Ganga-Cauvery link and Captain Dinshaw Dastur’s Garland Canal proposals in the 20th century.
National Perspective Plan (1980): prepared by the Ministry of Irrigation (now Jal Shakti) and the National Water Development Agency (NWDA, set up in 1982). It has two components: a Peninsular component of 16 links and a Himalayan component of 14 links, 30 in all.
Himalayan component: links of the Ganga and Brahmaputra with their tributaries, to store monsoon flows in reservoirs in Nepal and India and transfer water to the west and south.
Peninsular component: links such as Mahanadi-Godavari-Krishna-Cauvery, Par-Tapi-Narmada and Ken-Betwa.
Legal push: in 2012 the Supreme Court asked the government to take up the plan. The National Interlinking of Rivers Authority was proposed to oversee the projects.

What Is the Status of Major Links?

Link	States	Remarks
Ken-Betwa	Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh	Agreement signed in March 2021; foundation stone laid in December 2024. A dam at Daudhan and a link canal of about 220 km; part of the Panna Tiger Reserve is to be submerged, which has drawn objections
Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal	Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh	Agreement between the two states in 2024, linked to the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project
Damanganga-Pinjal, Par-Tapi-Narmada	Maharashtra and Gujarat	Under planning, with water for Mumbai and south Gujarat
Godavari-Cauvery	Maharashtra to Tamil Nadu	Detailed project reports and agreement of states are pending

The status of projects changes often, so the latest information should be taken from the Ministry of Jal Shakti. Inter-basin transfer is already done in some cases, such as the Indira Gandhi Canal and the Periyar-Vaigai transfer.

What Are the Benefits and the Challenges?

Benefits: more irrigation, drinking water, hydropower and navigation; relief from floods in surplus basins and drought in dry regions; a boost to farm output.
Cost: the estimated cost is huge, in lakhs of crores of rupees, and the time needed is long.
Environment: loss of forests, wetlands and wildlife habitat under reservoirs, change in river flow, downstream effects on deltas and fisheries, and the risk of spreading species between basins.
People: displacement of villages and loss of livelihoods.
Federal issues: water is a State subject, and states differ on which basins have a surplus. Disputes between states and countries, for example with Nepal and Bangladesh in the Himalayan component, need agreement.
Doubts about surplus: critics ask whether there is real surplus water in a changing climate, and argue that better use of local water, watershed work and demand management are cheaper.

What Are the Challenges with Ageing Dams?

India is among the three largest dam-building nations of the world, with several thousand large dams. Many were built decades ago, and a large number are now more than 25 years old, with hundreds over 50 and some over 100 years old, such as the Mullaperiyar dam of 1895. A United Nations University study of 2021 warned that a large share of the world’s dams, including India’s, would be over 50 years old by 2025 and need more maintenance.

Risks: siltation reduces storage, concrete and gates deteriorate, design floods are underestimated in a warmer climate, and a failure can drown people downstream. The breach of the Chungthang (Teesta III) dam in Sikkim in October 2023 after a glacial lake outburst flood showed the risks in the Himalaya.
Law: the Dam Safety Act, 2021 provides for the surveillance, inspection and maintenance of specified dams, with a National Committee on Dam Safety and a National Dam Safety Authority, set up in 2022, and State Dam Safety Organisations.
Rehabilitation: the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Programme (DRIP) with World Bank and other aid funds repair of hundreds of dams. The second and third phases were approved in 2020 at about Rs 10,000 crore for 736 dams, and the figures should be checked.
Decommissioning: some countries remove old dams that are unsafe or no longer needed, and the idea is being raised in India.

The big dams and valley projects of India are in Sutlej; Himachal Pradesh and Punjab Hirakud Mahanadi; Odisha Tehri Bhagirathi; Uttarakhand; 260.5 m Sardar Sarovar Narmada; Gujarat…">Multipurpose River Valley Projects and Major Dams of India (Bhakra Nangal, Hirakud, Tehri, Sardar Sarovar), and the water crisis behind these proposals in Water Resources: Utilization, Water Contamination, Conservation Methods. As an analytical point, new links and old dams raise the same question, whether India should invest more in large structures or in the care and efficient use of those already built.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Current affairs Ken-Betwa and Dam Safety Act
Debate Big projects versus local water
Safety Ageing dams

What Came Next?

The next macro covers soils and vegetation, beginning with the characteristics and formation of soil. Next topic: Soil: Characteristics and Factors Responsible for Soil Formation.

Key People and Terms

NWDA National Water Development Agency
Inter-basin transfer Moving water between river basins
Surplus basin Basin with water beyond its needs
DRIP Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Programme
NDSA National Dam Safety Authority
Siltation Build-up of silt in a reservoir

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

National Perspective Plan: 1980, 30 links.
16 Peninsular and 14 Himalayan links.
First project: Ken-Betwa.
Dam Safety Act: 2021.
Water is a State subject.

Do Not Confuse With

NWDA and NDSA Water development agency versus dam safety authority
Himalayan and Peninsular components 14 links versus 16 links
Inter-basin transfer and inter-state dispute Water move versus conflict over it

Memory Hook

Thirty links, sixteen south, fourteen north; Ken-Betwa first, old dams need care.

Mains Angle

Questions ask for an evaluation of the river-linking plan. These points add depth.

Case for Floods, droughts, irrigation
Case against Cost, ecology, federal issues
Alternative Local water and demand management

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Critically examine the proposal for interlinking of rivers in India and discuss the challenges posed by ageing dams.”

How to Answer

Plan National Perspective Plan.
Projects Ken-Betwa.
Evaluate Benefits and costs.
Dams Safety and the 2021 Act.

GS Relevance

Prelims: river linking projects, Ken-Betwa, NWDA, Dam Safety Act. GS Paper 1 and 3: water resources, floods and droughts, infrastructure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the interlinking of rivers project?

It is a plan to transfer water from rivers with a surplus to those with a shortage by connecting them through canals and reservoirs. The National Perspective Plan of 1980 identified 30 links, 16 in the Peninsular component and 14 in the Himalayan component, to reduce floods and droughts and to increase irrigation.

What is the Ken-Betwa link project?

The Ken-Betwa link project transfers water from the Ken river to the Betwa river through a link canal of about 220 km, to irrigate the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It is the first link under the national plan to begin work, and a part of the Panna Tiger Reserve is to be submerged.

Which agency studies river linking in India?

The National Water Development Agency, set up in 1982 under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, studies and prepares feasibility and detailed project reports for river-linking projects. It was set up to carry out the National Perspective Plan, which has 30 proposed links across the Himalayan and Peninsular components.

What are the main objections to river linking?

The main objections are the very high cost, displacement of people, loss of forests and wetlands under reservoirs, impact on river flows and deltas, and disagreement between states over whether there is a surplus. Critics also say that local water harvesting and better use of water are cheaper and less harmful.

What is the Dam Safety Act, 2021?

The Dam Safety Act, 2021 provides for surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of specified dams to prevent failures. It sets up the National Committee on Dam Safety and the National Dam Safety Authority, and requires states to set up State Dam Safety Organisations and to prepare emergency action plans.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 The National Perspective Plan of 1980 proposed 30 river links.

True

Sixteen Peninsular and fourteen Himalayan.

2 The Ken-Betwa link joins the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.

False

It joins the Ken and the Betwa.

3 The Dam Safety Act, 2021 provides for a National Dam Safety Authority.