River interlinking disaster in India

The Indian daily The Hindu states: “The political class must note that the lofty idea of interlinking rivers overlooks the huge environmental costs and the eventual deaths of rivers and deltaic regions”.

On December 25, 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Ken-Betwa River Link Project, which aims to solve the water scarcity in the Bundelkhand region that covers parts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The project also includes the construction of a dam located within the Panna Tiger Reserve, raising concerns about its submergence. Upon completion, this project will link the supposed water surplus Ken river with the Betwa in drought-stricken Bundelkhand — an area that had 58% forest cover in 1938.

The uncontrolled human-induced disequilibrium in natural hydrographic systems will destroy associated ecological niches with incalculable repercussions for the long-term well-being of society — an unpardonable disservice to future generations. We may also have to factor in the consequences of climate change impacting rainfall and river flow, which will aggravate the situation. It is unclear how the nation’s declared commitment to mitigating human-induced climate change and river manipulation go hand in hand.

Read The Hindu

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