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Ecology & Environment
Mahesh

14/01/24 07:13 AM IST

Ken-Betwa project

In News
  • A major dam project of the Madhya Pradesh government, which is part of the Centre’s marquee Ken-Betwa river interlinking project, was found to be in violation of environment clearance.
Lower Orr project
  • The Lower Orr project envisages providing irrigation and drinking water, on about 90,000 hectares, spanning the Shivpuri and Datia districts of the drought-prone Bundelkhand regions of Madhya Pradesh.
  • This includes a dam over the Orr river and a separate system of barrages.
  • The project will involve 3,020 hectares of which 991 hectares are forest land. As of today, the project is estimated at ₹3,101 crore.
Ken-Bewa river project
  • The Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) is the river interlinking project that aims to transfer surplus water from the Ken River in Madhya Pradesh (MP) to Betwa in Uttar Pradesh (UP) to irrigate the drought-prone Bundelkhand region.
  • The region spread across the districts of two states mainly Jhansi, Banda, Lalitpur and Mahoba districts of UP and Tikamgarh, Panna and Chhatarpur districts of MP.
  • The project involves building a 77-metre tall and a 2-km wide Dhaudhan dam (to be built within Panna Tiger Reserve) and a 230-km canal.
  • Ken-Betwa is one of the 30 river interlinking projects conceived across the country.
  • The link will be in the form of a canal that will be fed by the new Daudhan Dam on the Ken, to be built within Panna Tiger Reserve.
  • The national government has said that the dam will generate 103 MW of hydroelectric power.
  • The linking canal will flow through Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh and Jhansi districts, with the project expected to irrigate 6.3 lakh hectares of land every year.
Significance
  • It will not only accelerate the water conservation by construction of a multipurpose dam but will also produce 103 MW of hydropower and will supply drinking water to 62 lakh people.
Concerns
  • Because of certain environmental and wildlife conservation concerns like passing of the project though critical tiger habitat of panna tiger reserve, the project is stuck in for the approval from National Green Tribunal (NGT), and other higher authorities.
  • Reconstruction and rehabilitation caused due to displacement resulting from the implementation of the project will involve social cost as well.
  • They are also concerned that the project will endanger the water security of Panna.
  • Approval by the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife to the Ken-Betwa link Project has not been proved to be necessary for the improvement and better management of the wildlife therein as provided in Section 35(6) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

National River Linking Project (NRLP)
  • The National River Linking Project (NRLP) formally known as the National Perspective Plan, envisages the transfer of water from water ‘surplus’ basins where there is flooding, to water ‘deficit’ basins where there is drought/scarcity, through inter-basin water transfer projects.
  • Under the National Perspective Plan (NPP), the National Water Development Agency (NWDA), has identified 30 links (16 under the Peninsular Component and 14 under the Himalayan Component) for the preparation of feasibility reports (FRs).
  • The NPP for transferring water from water-surplus basins to water-deficit basins was prepared in August 1980.
Source- The Hindu

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