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(General Studies I)
Q. ‘What are the pros & cons of River linking projects in India. Discuss (250 words)
The National River Linking Project (NRLP), 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
18 % of world population lives in India & only around 3 % of water resource is available for use. Uneven rainfall, lack of perennial rivers in some states has made water scarce resource. In this given context river –interlinking has been viewed with some promising solution.
The National Perspective Plan (NPP) was prepared by the then Ministry of Irrigation, now Ministry of Water Resources, RD & GR for water resources development through inter basin transfer of water, for transferring water from water surplus basins to water-deficit basins.
There are 3 Components of River Linking Projects
Pros:
Cons:
Shah committee pointed out that the linking of rivers will affect natural supply of nutrients for agricultural lands through curtailing flooding of downstream areas.
Way forward:
Conclusion:
Thus, it is the need of the hour to have a water mission like as IRL, which will enable availability of water to the fields, villages, towns and industries throughout the year. But before adopting any project we need to analyse all the pros and cons of project such as how it is going to effect the environment, people, biodiversity etc.
Date- 16/11/2019 (Dept. of Content Development)