Ken-Betwa Inter-Linking Project (UPSC Current Affairs)

Relevance: GS3 - Water Resources, Issues Relating to Development

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Why in the news?

• The Union Cabinet recently approved funding and implementation of the Ken-Betwa River interlinking project.
• The project envisages the transfer of water from the Ken River to the Betwa river, both of which are tributaries of the Yamuna river. The project will take eight years to complete.

What is the Ken- Betwa interlinking project?

• It is the first project for river interlinking under the National Perspective Plan. The Ken-Betwa Link Canal will be 221 kilometers long, with a 2-kilometer-long tunnel.
• The idea of linking Ken and Betwa received a big boost in August 2005, when the Centre and the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding for the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR).
• The Centre marked KBLP as a National Project in 2008. It was later included in the Prime Minister's package for the development of the drought-prone Bundelkhand region.
• The Ministry of Jal Shakti and two states signed a memorandum of agreement in 2021 to implement his project.

Implementation Agency:

• The project will be implemented through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) called the Ken-Betwa Link Project Authority (KBLPA).
• The National Interlinking of Rivers Authority (NIRA) has the authority to create special purpose vehicles (SPV) for individual link projects.
• The project is divided into two phases with four primary components.
• The Daudhan Dam complex and its subsidiary units, such as the Low-Level Tunnel, High-Level Tunnel, Ken-Betwa Link Link, and powerhouses, will be included in Phase I.
• Lower Orr Dam, Bina Complex Project, and Kotha Barrage are the three components of Phase II.

Benefits:

• The project is located in Bundelkhand, a drought-prone region that includes 13 Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh districts.
• The project, according to Jal Shakti Ministry, will be extremely beneficial to this water-starved region.
• It would also pave the path for more interlinking of river projects, ensuring that water scarcity does not become a hindrance to the country's development.
• The project is intended to provide annual irrigation of 10.62 lakh hectares, supply drinking water to around 62 lakh people, and create 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar electricity, according to the Jal Shakti Ministry.

What are the associated Challenges?

Panna Tiger Reserve submergence:

• According to national Water Development Agency, the reservoir of the Daudhan dam will include "a submergence of 9000 ha area, of which 5803 ha comes under Panna Tiger Reserve" (PTR).
• Three WildLife Sanctuaries (WLS), namely Nauradehi, Rani Durgawati, and Ranipur WLS in MP and UP, are intended to be integrated with PTR to mitigate this.

Severalclearances are required:

Various clearances are required, including:

• The Central Water Commission must provide techno-economic approval.
• To be granted forest and environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change.
• The Ministry of Tribal Affairs will provide a tribal population resettlement and rehabilitation program.

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