Status of National Rivers Interlinking Programme

The Government of India has formulated the National Perspective Plan (NPP) for Inter-Basin Water Transfer, identifying 30 Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) Projects under the programme. The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has been entrusted with the implementation work, with projects divided into two components: 16 under the Peninsular component and 14 under the Himalayan component.

Project Implementation Status

The Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) is the only priority link project that has entered the implementation stage, with an estimated cost of ₹44,605 crore. The project is designed to provide irrigation to approximately 11.88 lakh hectares, drinking water supply to about 62 lakh people, 103 MW of hydropower, and 27 MW of solar power generation capacity.

The Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP), which incorporates the Godavari (Polavaram)–Krishna (Vijayawada) link, is classified as a National Project and is being executed by the Government of Andhra Pradesh and Polavaram Project Authority (PPA). This project envisages irrigation to about 7.2 lakh acres and stabilization of 23.5 lakh acres in the Godavari and Krishna delta systems, diversion of 80 TMC of Godavari water to the Krishna basin, drinking and industrial water supply including to Visakhapatnam, domestic water supply to approximately 28.5 lakh population across 611 villages, and hydropower generation of 960 MW. The project has received cumulative Central Assistance of ₹20,658 crore.

Environmental and Social Compliance

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) forms an integral part of the preparation of Feasibility Reports and Detailed Project Reports for every ILR project, including assessment of environmental and socio-economic impacts. For the Ken-Betwa Link Project, a comprehensive EIA has been completed along with an Integrated Landscape Management Plan (ILMP) that outlines measures for catchment-area treatment, landscape-level ecological management, biodiversity conservation, command-area development, and long-term monitoring of environmental parameters. All ILR projects include Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation & Resettlement components within their sanctioned project structure, with execution conforming to applicable environmental, forest-clearance, and R&R provisions.

Detailed Project Status Breakdown

Peninsular Component Projects:

  • Mahanadi (Manibhadra) - Godavari (Dowlaiswaram) link: Feasibility Report completed (benefits Andhra Pradesh and Odisha)
  • Alternate Mahanadi (Barmul)- Rushikulya–Godavari Dowlaiswaram link: Feasibility Report completed
  • Godavari (Polavaram) - Krishna (Vijayawada) link: Feasibility Report completed (benefits AP, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana)
  • Godavari (Inchampalli) - Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) link: Feasibility Report completed (Telangana)
  • Alternate Godavari (Inchampalli) - Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) link: DPR completed
  • Godavari (Inchampalli/ SSMPP) - Krishna (Pulichintala) link: DPR completed (Telangana and AP)
  • Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) - Pennar (Somasila) link: Feasibility Report completed (AP)
  • Alternate Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) - Pennar (Somasila) link: DPR completed
  • Krishna (Srisailam) – Pennar link: DPR Completed (AP)
  • Krishna (Almatti) – Pennar link: DPR completed (Karnataka & AP)
  • Pennar (Somasila) - Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link: Feasibility Report completed (AP, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry)
  • Alternate Pennar (Somasila) - Cauvery (Grand Anicut) link: DPR completed
  • Cauvery (Kattalai) - Vaigai -Gundar link: DPR completed (Tamil Nadu)
  • Parbati –Kalisindh - Chambal link: Feasibility Report completed (MP and Rajasthan)
  • Modified Parbati – Kalisindh-Chambal link: MoA for implementation signed by both states
  • Damanganga - Pinjal link: DPR completed, dropped from priority links status (water supply to Mumbai)
  • Par-Tapi-Narmada link: DPR completed, dropped from priority links status (Gujarat and Maharashtra)
  • Ken-Betwa link: DPR completed, work commenced (UP and MP)
  • Pamba - Achankovil - Vaippar link: Feasibility Report completed (Tamil Nadu and Kerala)
  • Bedti - Varda link: DPR completed (Karnataka) - prepared directly after PFR without Feasibility Report
  • Netravati – Hemavati link: Pre-Feasibility Report completed, further studies not taken up as no surplus water available after Yettinahole project implementation

Himalayan Component Projects:

  • Kosi-Mechi link: PFR completed, proposal dropped (Bihar and Nepal)
  • Kosi-Ghaghra link: Feasibility Report completed (Bihar, UP, Nepal)
  • Gandak - Ganga link: Feasibility Report completed (UP and Nepal)
  • Ghaghra - Yamuna link: Feasibility Report completed (UP and Nepal)
  • Sarda - Yamuna link: DPR Completed (UP and Uttarakhand)
  • Yamuna-Rajasthan link: Feasibility Report completed (Haryana and Rajasthan)
  • Rajasthan-Sabarmati link: Feasibility Report completed (Rajasthan and Gujarat)
  • Chunar - Sone Barrage link: Feasibility Report completed (Bihar and UP)
  • Sone Dam - Southern Tributaries of Ganga link: Draft FR completed (Bihar and Jharkhand)
  • Manas-Sankosh-Tista-Ganga (M-S-T-G) link: Feasibility Report completed (Assam, West Bengal, Bihar)
  • Jogighopa-Tista-Farakka link: PFR completed, proposal dropped (Assam, WB, Bihar)
  • Farakka-Sundarbans link: Feasibility Report completed (WB)
  • Ganga (Farakka) - Damodar-Subarnarekha link: Feasibility Report completed (WB, Odisha, Jharkhand)
  • Subarnarekha-Mahanadi link: Feasibility Report completed (WB and Odisha)

The information was provided by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Raj Bhushan Choudhary, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha.