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Subject: River Linking and Impact

  • Ken-Betwa stir claims its first win, activist suspends fast

    Why in News?

    An activist ended an 18-day hunger strike after the Madhya Pradesh government agreed to conduct fresh surveys of families allegedly excluded from rehabilitation under the Ken-Betwa Link Project.

    Key Highlights

    • Jai Kisan Sangathan leader Amit Bhatnagar suspended his indefinite fast after the government accepted the demand for fresh village-level surveys.
    • The issue concerns villages in the Daudhan Dam submergence area in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh.
    • Protesters alleged exclusion of eligible families from compensation and rehabilitation, flawed surveys, and irregularities in Gram Sabha proceedings.
    • Joint teams of government officials and Jai Kisan Sangathan representatives will conduct fresh surveys.
    • The agitation will continue under the banner of “Nyay Satyagraha.”

    Ken-Betwa Link Project

    • India’s first river interlinking project under the National Perspective Plan.
    • Links the Ken River (Madhya Pradesh) with the Betwa River (Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh).
    • Comprises the Daudhan Dam, a 221-km canal, and associated infrastructure.
    • Aims to provide irrigation, drinking water, hydropower, and drought mitigation in the Bundelkhand region.

    Concerns

    • Submergence of forest areas, including parts of Panna Tiger Reserve.
    • Displacement and rehabilitation of affected communities.
    • Ecological impacts on river ecosystems and wildlife.

    National River Linking Project (NRLP)

    • Conceived by the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) in 1982.
    • Envisages 30 inter-basin links (16 Peninsular and 14 Himalayan) to transfer water from surplus to deficit basins.

    PYQ (2017, GS3, 10 Marks) Not many years ago, river linking was a concept but it is becoming reality in the country. Discuss the advantages of river linking and its possible impact on the environment.

    [2016] Recently, linking of which of the following rivers was undertaken?

    [A] Cauvery and Tungabhadra

    [B] Godavari and Krishna

    [C] Mahanadi and Sone

    [D] Narmada and Tapti

  • Shrinking Yamuna Floodplains & Rising Flood Risk

    Why in News?

    A study by University of Delhi (DU) and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Bhopal, published in the Journal of the Geological Society of India, found that the Yamuna’s floodplains in Delhi have shrunk by nearly one-third over the last century, increasing flood vulnerability.

    Key Highlights

    • Study Area: 50-km stretch of the Yamuna in Delhi.
    • Methodology: Historical maps (1799 onwards) and satellite imagery (up to 2024).
    • Major Findings:
      • River channel narrowed by ~68%.
      • Formative discharge declined by ~89%.
      • Around 45 sq km (one-third) of floodplains disconnected by embankments.
      • Sediment deposits reduced from 20 sq km (1985) to 4 sq km (2020).
    • Major Causes:
      • Barrages (Hathnikund, Wazirabad, Okhla).
      • Embankments.
      • Rapid urbanisation and floodplain encroachment.

    Key Term: Formative Discharge

    • Also called Channel-Maintaining Discharge.
    • The long-term river flow that shapes the river channel, transports sediment, and maintains its flood-carrying capacity.
    • Floodplains: Flat, low-lying areas adjacent to a river that are periodically inundated during floods. Act as natural buffers by storing excess floodwater, recharging groundwater, and supporting biodiversity.
      • Encroachment and embankments reduce their flood-moderating capacity.

    [2026] Consider the following assertion:
    In the Pleistocene period either the Yamuna once flowed into the Indus, or the Sutlej flowed into the Yamuna and one major tributary of either had shifted from the Ganga to the Indus or vice versa.
    Which of the following is/are the basis of the above assertion?
    1. The Nadi-Sukta of the Rigveda
    2. The explorations of the Sutlej and the Yamuna by Robert Bruce Foote
    3. The presence of the same species of dolphins in both the Indus and the Ganga river systems
    Select the answer using the code given below:

    [A] 1 only

    [B] 2 only

    [C] 1 and 2

    [D] 3

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