The governments of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat are poised to sign three new agreements to link their rivers in an attempt to harvest surplus water for irrigation and drinking purposes, and address shortages in some of the states. It could be a long-term solution to Mumbai's water woes.
The so-called river-linking schemes are part of an ambitious national river-linking project (RLP) being overseen by the Union ministry of water resources. However, experts said the decision to sign agreements such as these reflects a change in the focus of RLP, from linking geographically distant rivers to more realistic projects.
RLP was conceived by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in 2003 and envisaged connecting 30 rivers across India - 14 rivers in north India and 16 in peninsular India. The government believed that this would help irrigate 37 million hectares of land, generate 34,000 million kilowatts of electricity, control floods, and prevent drought.
Since then, experts have said it is not feasible to link divergent river systems. And states have bickered on the contours of the project.
All of which makes the three agreements that will be signed significant. The first of these could be signed between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and will link the rivers Parbati and Kalisindh to Chambal.
"The two states have reached a consensus on linking the rivers and the boundary issues involved," and will soon sign an agreement, said a water resources ministry official, who did not wish to be identified. According to officials at the National Water Development Agency (NWDA), an autonomous society under the government that carries out surveys and makes plans regarding water bodies and irrigation, the project will divert surplus water of two rivers, Parbati and Kalisindh, to two dams across the Chambal river, the Gandhisagar (in Madhya Pradesh) and Rana Pratap Sagar (in Rajasthan).
"The water from these two rivers will irrigate areas around the link canals and at the Kota barrage in Rajasthan. The water saved in the Chambal, by using the water from these rivers will be used in the drought-prone areas of the upper Chambal," said an NWDA official who did not wish to be identified.
According to the feasibility report discussed by the two state governments, the length of the link to Rana Pratap Sagar dam will be 243 km. Similarly, Gujarat and Maharashtra are also on the verge of concluding their discussions on two river-linking projects.
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