Inter-Linking of Rivers Under National Perspective Plan Discussed in Lok Sabha

The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has been entrusted with the work of inter-linking of rivers under National Perspective Plan (NPP). NPP has two components, viz., Himalayan Rivers Development Component and Peninsular Rivers Development Component. 30 link projects have been identified under NPP. Pre-Feasibility Reports (PFRs) of all the 30 links have been completed and Feasibility Reports (FRs) of 24 links and Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of 8 links have been completed. Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) is the first link project under NPP, for which implementation has been initiated. Latest status and State-wise details of Inter-linking of Rivers (ILR) projects are given at Annexure.

This Information was given by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Bishweswar Tudu in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

A budget allocation of ₹ 1,100 crore in the current financial year has been made for KBLP by Government of India. The total amount spent on the project till 31.12.2022 is ₹ 7,665 crore, including ₹ 5,038.28 crore from the Central grant and ₹ 2,626.70 crore from the State budget.

The cooperation of States is paramount in the implementation of inter-linking of rivers projects. Inter-Basin Water Transfer (IBWT) from surplus basins to water deficit basins/areas is essential to address the imbalance in water availability across the country and water security in the country. ILR programme is being pursued in a consultative manner by building consensus amongst the Party States for the implementation of the ILR projects. Government of India has accorded priority to the ILR programme and has been making all efforts to expedite the same.

KBLP is the first inter-linking project taken for implementation as a result of efforts made by Ministry of Jal Shakti and cooperation of States of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The project is being implemented by Centre and both the States jointly through a Special Purpose Vehicle (Ken-Betwa Link Project Authority) with major funding coming from Central Government.

Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Bishweswar Tudu also informed the LOk Sabha in a written reply, that under Namami Gange Programme, a comprehensive set of interventions such as wastewater treatment, solid waste management, river front management (ghats and crematoria development), e-flow , afforestation, biodiversity conservation and Public Participation etc. have been taken up for rejuvenation of river Ganga and its tributaries. So far, a total of 409 projects have been taken up at an estimated cost of Rs. 32,912.40 Crore, out of which 232 projects have been completed and made operational. Majority of the projects pertain to creation of sewage infrastructure as the untreated domestic/industrial wastewater is the main reason for pollution in the river. 177 sewerage infrastructure projects have been taken up with a cost of Rs. 26,673.06 crore for creation & rehabilitation of 5,269.87MillionLitres per Day (MLD) of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) capacity and laying of around 5,213.49 km sewerage network. Among these, 99 sewerage projects have been completed resulting in creation & rehabilitation of 2043.05 MLD of STP capacity and laying of 4260.95km sewerage network. In order to sustain the continued operation of the sewage treatment infrastructure, Hybrid Annuity based PPP mode has also been adopted. The United Nations (UN) has recognized Namami Gange initiative to rejuvenate India’s sacred River Ganga as one of the top 10 World Restoration Flagships to revive the natural world. The Award was received by NMCG at a function in the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) in Montreal, Canada on 14th December 2022, the World Restoration Day.

No Project on silt management has been taken up under Namami Gange Programme. However a study on “Identification of Critical Soil erosion prone areas and preparation of Catchment Area Treatment Plan” has been taken up by IIT Roorkee.

Namami Gange Programme was launched in June 2014 for a period up to 31st March, 2021 to rejuvenate River Ganga and its tributaries. The programme was subsequently extended up to 31^st March, 2026. A total sum of Rs.13,709.72 crore were released to the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), from Financial Year (FY) 2014-15 till 31^st December 2022, out of which Rs.13,245.68 crore have been released/disbursed by NMCG to State Governments, State Missions for Clean Ganga and other agencies for implementation of projects related to Ganga rejuvenation. The amount released/disbursed by NMCG to various agencies for implementation of projects, compiled State& agency-wise, along with main objective of the projects, from 2014-15 up to 31st October, 2022, is attached as Annexure.

Based on the water quality assessment by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in 5 Ganga main stem States in 2022 (January to October), the observed water quality indicates that median value of Dissolved Oxygen which is an indicator of river health has been found to be within acceptable limits of notified primary bathing water quality criteria and satisfactory to support the ecosystem of river for almost entire stretch of river Ganga.

Further, as a result of multi sectoral interventions, as per comparison of median data of water quality parameters viz., Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Faecal Coliforms (FC) of year 2014 and 2022 (January to October); DO (Median) has improved at 33 locations, BOD (Median) has improved at 40 locations and FC (Median) has improved 28 locations, respectively.

As informed by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the population of dolphins in Ganga & its tributaries has increased as evidence by increased number and range of stretches of dolphin sightings and other biodiversity, which is also an indication of improvement of water quality of the river.