Ken Betwa River Linking Project (KBLP) - Background, Features, Timeline, Rivers & More!

The Ken Betwa River Linking Project (KBLP) is the first of 16 river interlinking projects planned. These projects are under the National Perspective Plan (NPP)'s Peninsular Rivers Development. Ken Betwa River Linking Project (KBLP) received the nod of the Union Cabinet in 2021. It involves the transfer of water from Ken to the Betwa River through the construction of the Daudhan Dam and the canal linking the rivers. 

Ken Betwa River Linking Project (KBLP) is one of the important topics for the UPSC IAS exam. It is part of the Geography and Environment sections in the GS Paper 1 & 3 of the Mains syllabus and GS Paper 1 in the UPSC Prelims syllabus. 

This article will provide all the information on the Ken Betwa River Linking Project (KBLP). It covers the project's timeline, rivers involved in this project, environmental concerns, features of KBLP, etc. 

Current Status of KBLP

The KBLP was first proposed in the 1980s and received approval from the Union Cabinet in 2014. The project was stalled due to environmental concerns and opposition from local communities. In March 2021, the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh signed an agreement to revive the project. The Union Cabinet gave its approval again in April 2023.

Environmental Concerns and Mitigation Measures

The KBLP has faced criticism from environmentalists. They argue that it will have a negative impact on the Ken River ecosystem and displace local communities. 

Current Progress and Challenges

The KBLP is currently in the pre-construction phase, and the detailed project report (DPR) is being finalized. The project is expected to cost around ₹44,605 crore (approximately US$5.6 billion), and the construction is expected to take around nine years. 

The project still faces challenges, including:

• Obtaining environmental clearances
• Acquiring land for the project
• Resettlement and rehabilitation of affected communities

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What is Ken Betwa River Linking Project?

The Ken Betwa River Linking Project (KBLP) is proposed in the National Perspective Plan (NPP). It is one of India's first river interlinking projects. This project seeks to provide the following:

• Yearly irrigation for around 10 lakh hectares
• Increase potable water supplies
• Generate 103 MW of hydropower in the Bundelkhand region, which spans the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

The primary goal of the NPP is to transfer water from river basins with surplus water to areas with deficient water. This will help address the problem of water scarcity. The NPP is divided into two parts: 

• Himalayan Rivers Development 
• Peninsular Rivers Development

The Ken Betwa River connecting project has an eight-year building schedule. It will be completed in two phases:

• Phase-I: The first phase of the Ken Betwa River Linking Project (KBLP) includes construction work on the Daudhan dam complex, the 221-kilometer Ken-Betwa link canal, and powerhouses.
• Phase II: The second phase of the Ken Betwa River Linking Project (KBLP) includes the development works on the lower Orr dam, the Bina complex project, and the Kotha barrage.

Background of the Ken Betwa River Linking Project (KBLP)

The Ken Betwa River Linking Project is part of the Indian government's ambition of connecting 30 river basins and building a 12,500-kilometer canal network throughout the country. 

• The National Water Development Agency proposed the KBLP in 1982 as part of the Interlinking of Rivers Plan (NWDA).
• In 1995, the NWDA produced a feasibility study for the Ken-Betwa project.
• The project was supposed to start in 2015, but it only gained a new boost last year when the government reached a revised agreement with the two states.

Figure: Ken Betwa River Linking Project Map 

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Ken Betwa River Linking Project - Timeline and Milestones

The Ken Betwa River Linking Project is the first of 16 river interlinking projects proposed under the NPP's Peninsular Rivers Development. It will link the Yamuna River's tributaries, the Ken River in Madhya Pradesh's Panna region, and the Betwa River in Uttar Pradesh.

Period	Description
August 1980	The National Perspective Plan or NPP is formulated.
August 2005	MoU signed by state governments of MP, UP, and the central government for preparation of the DPR for the project.
April 2010	The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) completes the DPR for phase I of the KBLP.
January 2014	The NWDA completes the DPR for phase II of the project.
September 2014	A special Committee on the interlinking of rivers (ILR) was constituted to implement the ILR program.
April 2015	A task force for the interlinking of rivers was constituted by MoWR, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation.
March 2021	The governments of UP and MP signed an MoU with the Jal Shakti Ministry for implementing the Ken Betwa river linking project.
December 2021	The Cabinet approved the funding and implementation of the project.
February 2022	The government announced a budget allocation of Rs 44,605 crore for the project during the Union Budget 2022-23.

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Features of the Ken Betwa River Linking Project (KBLP)

Important features of KBLP are given below:

• According to the Union Jal Shakti Ministry, the project would offer yearly irrigation for 10.62 lakh hectares. It will provide potable water for about 62 lakh people and 103 MW of electricity.
• The project is projected to relieve the thirst of the water-stressed area of Bundelkhand, which includes the Madhya Pradesh districts of Panna, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Sagar, Damoh, Datia, Vidisha, Shivpuri, and Raisin, as well as the Uttar Pradesh districts of Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi, and Lalitpur. 
• As many as 62 lakh people in the Bundelkhand area would benefit from the project.
• The success of the Ken-Betwa connection project is intended to pave the way for similar river interlinking projects. It will ensure that water shortage does not become an impediment to the country's growth.
• The project is expected to cost roughly Rs 37,600 crores. The Ken Betwa River Linking Project Authority, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for project implementation, will be founded. The central government will fund 90 percent of the project cost, with the states bearing the remainder.
• The Ken-Betwa Link Project Authority (KBLPA) will be in charge of constructing the Daudhan dam, power station, tunnels, and Ken-Betwa link water carrier. 
• Daudhan Dam complex and its ancillary units, such as low-level tunnel, high-level tunnel, Ken-Betwa Link canal, and power buildings, will be one of the four components of Phase I. 
• Lower Orr Dam, Bina Complex Project, and Kotha Barrage are the three components of Phase II.

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Key Stakeholders Involved

• The Ministry of Water Resources (formerly known as the Union Ministry of Irrigation) and the Central Water Commission would collaborate on the National Perspective Plan (NPP). 
• A Steering Committee led by the Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources examined the work's progress on a regular basis.
• The Ken-Betwa Link Project (Phase–II) will require the following clearances from the Agencies:
  • Central Water Commission
  • Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  • Central Empowered Committee, MOEF
  • Ministry of Tribal Affairs

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Rivers Linked Under Ken Betwa River Linking Project

The Ken Betwa River Linking Project is a river-interlinking project that proposes to transport excess water from the Ken River in Madhya Pradesh to the Betwa River in Uttar Pradesh in order to irrigate the drought-prone Bundelkhand region. Both the Ken and Betwa rivers flow into the Yamuna.

• The rivers Ken and Betwa originate in Madhya Pradesh and are tributaries of the Yamuna.
• The Ken River flows into the Yamuna River in the Uttar Pradesh district of Banda and the Betwa River in the Uttar Pradesh district of Hamirpur. The Panna Tiger Reserve is traversed by the Ken River.

The five rivers involved in Ken Betwa River Linking Project (KBLP) are

• Damanganga-Pinjal
• Par-Tapi-Narmada
• Godavari-Krishna
• Krishna-Penner 
• Pennar-Cauvery

Figure: Extend of Ken Betwa River Linking Project

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Benefits of the Ken Betwa River Linking Project

Some of the benefits of KBLP are as follows:

• The Ken Betwa River project will assist in utilizing flood water during the monsoon season. It will stabilize water supplies during lean months, particularly in drought years.
• The project will also enable annual irrigation and hydropower generation by connecting the Ken and Betwa rivers.
• The initiative is also projected to promote socio-economic prosperity in the backward Bundelkhand region through greater agricultural activity and job creation.
• The Ken Betwa link project will provide various benefits, including better water resource utilization and resolving water scarcity in several regions of the Bundelkhand region.
• The government sees river interlinking as a high priority for the sustainable development of India's water resources.
• The project will also enable annual irrigation and hydropower generation by connecting the Ken and Betwa rivers.

Environmental Impact of KBLP

The Ken Betwa River Linking Project has been questioned by several bodies. Some of the challenges faced or questions raised are: 

• Environmentalists claim that the project will be extremely detrimental to the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.
• The completion of the Ken Betwa River interlinking project is predicted to result in the submergence of 6,017 hectares of forest area beneath the KBLP's Daudhan dam.

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Significance of KBLP

The Ken Betwa River Linking Project will aid the water-stressed Bundelkhand region, as well as numerous other districts in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

The initiative is planned to promote socio-economic prosperity in Bundelkhand's backward region through increasing agricultural activity and jobs. It will also aid in the halting of distressed migration from this region.

Issues of Ken Betwa River Link Project

Issues associated with KBLP are:

• Ken Betwa River link project will have an influence on biodiversity, disasters, and hydrology. A significant impact will be the removal of 23 lakh large trees for the Ken-Betwa interlinking.
• The economic cost of project implementation and maintenance is enormous. It has been increasing as a result of project implementation delays.
• The costs will be incurred as a result of reconstruction and rehabilitation as a result of the project's implementation.
• This river-linking strategy has the potential to ignite recurring clashes at multiple levels, such as center vs. state, state versus state, state versus people, urban versus rural, and so on.
• The project is awaiting authorization from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and other higher authorities due to environmental and animal conservation issues, such as the project's passing through crucial tiger habitat in the Panna Tiger Reserve. 
• The project is stalled due to a delay in obtaining approval from the National Green Tribunal- NGT and other higher authorities because it is located in an environmentally sensitive zone.

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National Perspective Plan( NPP)

The National River Linking Project (NRLP) intends to transport water from surplus basins, where the volume of water is great, to deficient basins, thereby resolving issues such as drought. The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has identified a total of 30 links under the National Perspective Plan to deliver feasible results.

Significance of River Interlinking

The significance of the Ken Betwa Rover Linking Project is as follows:

• The interconnection of rivers would end the recurring drought in the Bundelkhand region. This, in turn, regulates the suicide rate of farmers in this drought-prone region.
• It will provide them with a stable source of income by providing permanent irrigation and minimizing their reliance on groundwater.
• The development of a multipurpose dam would not only increase water conservation but will also generate 103 MW of electricity and provide drinking water to 62 lakh people.
• This will also assist in revitalizing the dry area and increase biodiversity.

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Projects Similar to the Ken Betwa River Linking Project

The following table provides details about projects similar to KBLP.

SR No	Name	Rivers	States concerned
Peninsular Component
1(a)	Mahanadi (Manibhadra)– Godavari (Dowlaiswaram) link	Mahanadiand Godavari	Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka and Maharashtra
1(b)	Mahanadi (Bermul)– Godavari (Dowlaiswaram) link	Mahanadi and Godavari	-
2	Godavari(Inchampall)-Krishna(Pulichintala) link	Godavari and Krishna	Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka
3	Godavari(Inchampalli)-Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) link	Godavari and Krishna	-
4	Godavari(Polavaram) - Krishna(Vijayawada) link	Godavari and Krishna	-
5	Krishna(Almatti)–Pennar link	Krishna and Pennar	Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka
6	Krishna (Srisailam)–Pennar link	Krishna and Pennar	-
7	Krishna(Nagarjunasagar)-Pennar (Somasila) link	Krishna and Pennar	-
8	Pennar (Somasila)–Cauvery(Grand Anicut) link	Pennar and Cauvery	Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry
9	Cauvery (Kattalai)–Vaigai–Gundar link	Cauvery, Vaigai and Gundar	Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry
10	Ken–Betwa link	Ken and Betwa	Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh
11 (i)	Parbati – Kalisindh –Chambal link	Parbati, Kalisindhand Chambal	Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan requested to be Consulted during consensus building)
(ii)	Parbati-Kuno-Sindh link	Parbati, Kuno and Sindh	Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan
12	Par-Tapi-Narmada link	Par, Tapi and Narmada	Maharashtra and Gujarat
13	Damanganga – Pinjal link	Damanganga and Pinjal	-
14	Bedti-Varada link	Bedti and Varada	Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka
15	Netravati – Hemavati link	Netravati and Hemavati	Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala
16	Pamba - Achankovil –Vaippar link	Pamba, Achankovil and Vaippar	Kerala and Tamil Nadu
Himalayan Component
1	Manas-Sankosh-Tista-Ganga(M-S-T-G)link	Manas, Sankosh, Tista and Ganga	Bhutan & India (Assam,West Bengal and Bihar)
2	Kosi-Ghaghra link	Kosi and Ghaghra	Nepal & India (Bihar and Uttar Pradesh)
3	Gandak-Ganga link	Gandak and Ganga	--do--
4	Ghaghra-Yamuna link	Ghaghra and Yamuna	--do--
5	Sarda-Yamuna link	Sarda and Yamuna	Nepal & India (Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Rajasthan)
6	Yamuna-Rajasthan link	Yamuna and Sukri	Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh
7	Rajasthan-Sabarmati link	Sabarmati	--do--
8	Chunar-Sone Barrage link	Ganga and Sone	Bihar and Uttar Pradesh
9	Sone Dam – Southern Tributaries of Ganga link	Sone and Badua	Bihar and Jharkhand
10	Ganga (Farakka)-Damodar- Subernarekha link	Ganga, Damodar and Subernarekha	West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand
11	Subernarekha-Mahanadi link	Subernarekha and Mahanadi	West Bengal and Odisha
12	Kosi-Mechi Link	Kosi and Mechi	Nepal & India (Bihar and West Bengal)
13	Ganga (Farakka)-Sunderbans link	Ganga and Ichhamati	West Bengal
14	Jogighopa-Tista-Farakkalink(Alternative to M-S-T-G)	Manas, Tista and Ganga	Assam, Bihar and West Bengal

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Conclusion

The Ken Betwa River Linking Project envisions diverting surplus water from the Ken basin to the water-stressed Betwa basin. The amount of water proposed to be diverted from the Ken basin after taking into account in-basin demands and downstream commitments for irrigation in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

When the link project becomes a regional development project that integrates irrigation, power generation, and city water supply with catchment area management, conservation, tourism, fisheries, and rural development, the net benefits often increase. Thus, environmental and socio-economic analysis is one method for analyzing resource development projects in order to detect and minimize potential resource conflicts/adverse environmental effects, thereby improving overall project profitability.

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Ken Betwa River Linking Project (KBLP) Previous Year Questions

Not many years ago, river linking was a concept, but it is becoming a reality in the country. Discuss the advantages of river linking and its possible impact on the environment. [2017]