1.1.3 Consequent to these efforts, the National Water Development Agenc y was set up in 1982 by the Government of India, This Agency is charged with the detailed planning of the link proposals and preparing the feasibility reports of the various components. By now. The NWDA has completed all water balance studies and pre-feasibility studies. It has completed six feasibility level studies and is engaged in 18 other feasibility studies.

1.1.4 Meanwhile, the concept of inter-basin water transfers again came in the limelight and the Government of India, in December. 2002 has set up a Task force. The task force is to prepare action plans outlining the time schedules and options for funding and execution so as to facilitate implementation of the project by end of

2016

1 .2 Scope

1.2.1 In this background, this paper has been prepared as a base paper for providing information relevant to causing an Informed National Debate on the general issues of the desirability and practicability of the proposals for inter-basin transfers as have been studied by the NWDA. This paper thus discusses the proposals and various issues involved in the proposals; brings out the main issues on which a consensus needs to be built through a national debate gives various opinions as have been expressed by different experts on the various issues including the opinions of the authors of the base paper; but refrains from taking any particular stand. This theme paper has been prepared to focus the real issues while debating the prospects and problems in interlinking of rivers in India .

2. PROPOSALS

2.1 National Perspective Plan

The National Perspective Plan comprises of two components, namely:

2.2 Himalayan Rivers Component

2.2.1 The Himalayan Rivers Component envisages construction of storages on the main Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers and their principal tributaries in India and Nepal so as to conserve monsoon flows for flood control, hydropower generation and irrigation. Interlinking canal systems will be provided to transfer surplus flows of the Kosi. Gandak and Ghagra to the west. In addition. Brahmaputra Ganga Link will be constructed for augmenting dry weather flows of the Ganga Surplus flows available on account of inter-linking of Ganga and Yamuna are proposed to be transferred to the drought prone areas of Haryana. Rajasthan and Gujarat . The scheme will also enable large areas in South Uttar Pradesh and south Bihar to obtain irrigation benefits from the Ganga with a moderate lift at less than 30 m. Further, all lands in Terai area of Nepal would also get irrigation apart from generation of about 30 million kw of hydropower in Nepal and India. It will also provide flood moderation in the Ganga - Brahmaputra system. With this proposal, about 140 km of additional water would be available from these river systems for irrigating an estimated 22 million ha. in the Ganga - Brahmaputra plains, apart from Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat . It would also provide 1,120 cumecs (40.000 cusecs) to Calcutta Port and would provide navigation facilities across the country. The scheme will benefit not only parts of India but also neighboring countries of Nepal and Bangladesh (NWDA. 1998).

2.3 Peninsular Rivers Component

2.3.1 Amongst the Peninsular rivers, the Mahanadi and Godavari are considered to have sizeable surpluses after meeting the existing and projected needs of the states within these basins It is therefore, proposed to provide terminal storages on Mahanadi and Godavari rivers to divert surplus flows of Mahanadi to the Godavari system and to further transfer surplus from the Godavari system to water short rivers namely. Krishna . Pennar and Cauvery. The link from Mahanadi to Godavari will be along the east coast and will not involve any lift. The link between Godavari and Krishna will be partly by gravity and partly in the ultimate stage, by lifts of the order of 120 m (maximum). The transfer of waters would enable irrigation in drought prone areas of Maharashtra . Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu by successive exchange.

2.3.2 The second component of this proposal is to divert a part of the waters of the west flowing rivers of Kerala to the east for irrigating the drought prone areas of Tamil Nadu, apart from bringing new areas under irrigation in Kerala.