KEN, BETWA AND A LINE DRAWN ON WATER, Pg15

Key Highlights:

• The Ken-Betwa Link Project, costing Rs 44,605 crore, aims to irrigate the Bundelkhand region by transferring water from the Ken to the Betwa river.
• It is India's first inter-basin river link project, approved by the Union Cabinet in December 2021.
• The project involves the construction of the Daudhan dam across the Ken river in Madhya Pradesh and a 221-km link canal.
• It is designed to irrigate 9.04 lakh hectares, generate 103 MW hydropower and 27 MW solar energy, and supply 194 million cubic metres of drinking water annually.
• Construction is progressing, but faces significant challenges related to land acquisition, rehabilitation of nearly 2,000 families across 10 villages, and environmental stipulations.
• Protests have erupted in submergence zones over compensation surveys and eligibility, leading to detentions of activists and villagers.

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Detailed Insights:

• The idea of linking India's rivers dates back to the early 1980s, with the National Water Development Agency identifying Ken-Betwa as a priority.
• The project will benefit parched districts in Madhya Pradesh (Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, Panna, Damoh, Vidisha, Sagar, Shivpuri, Datia, Raisen) and Uttar Pradesh (Banda, Mahoba, Jhansi, Lalitpur).
• The Daudhan dam reservoir is designed to hold 2,853 million cubic metres of water, with two power stations generating over 219 million units of electricity annually.
• Other irrigation structures include the Lower Orr Project, Kotha Barrage, Bina Complex Multipurpose Project, and the restored Ken Canal System in Uttar Pradesh.
• The project will directly submerge about 2,171 hectares of village land, with a wider submergence area spanning roughly 9,000 hectares.
• The Environmental Clearance stipulation mandates that all rehabilitation and resettlement issues must be completed before the project's commissioning.
• A special rehabilitation package offers Rs 12.5 lakh per adult and plots in Kawar Karondiya resettlement colony, but many families report being excluded or undercounted.
• Displaced families, particularly tribal communities, face loss of traditional livelihoods dependent on forest produce and river resources, which are not adequately compensated.
• Administrative gaps include omitted houses, missing names, excluded family members, and undercounted land parcels in official surveys.
• Resettlement colonies often lack basic amenities like water supply, forcing residents to incur additional expenses for necessities.

Key Concepts Involved:

• River Interlinking Project: A large-scale engineering endeavor to connect different river basins to transfer surplus water to deficit areas.
• Bundelkhand Region: A drought-prone area in central India, spanning parts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, known for water scarcity.
• National Water Development Agency (NWDA): An autonomous organization under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, responsible for studies related to inter-basin water transfer.
• Environmental Clearance: A mandatory approval from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for projects with potential environmental impact.
• Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R): Policies and processes to compensate and relocate populations displaced by development projects, ensuring their livelihood restoration.