Ken-Betwa interlinking Project:
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The Ken-Betwa ILR project aims to transfer surplus water from the Ken River to the Betwa basin through concrete canal to irrigate India’s worst drought-prone Bundelkhand region.
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It is India’s first inter-State river interlinking project
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The main feature of the project is a 230-km long canal and a series of barrages and dams connecting the Ken and Betwa rivers The key projects are Makodia and Dhaudhan dams.
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On completion, the multipurpose project will benefit Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in terms of meeting irrigation, drinking water and electricity needs of people across 6 districts in the two states.
Significance of Project
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Ken-Betwa river interlinking project will irrigate India’s worst drought-affected and drought-prone Bundelkhand region.
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It will irrigate 3.5 lakh hectares in Madhya Pradesh and 14,000 hectares of Uttar Pradesh, in Bundelkhand.
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Drinking water supply to about 62 lakh people,
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103 MW of hydropower.
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It will benefit 5 districts of Madhya Pradesh (Chhatarpur, Raisen, Panna,Tikamgarh, and Vidisha) and 3 districts of Uttar Pradesh (Mahoba, Jhansi and Banda) by assured irrigation supply, domestic and industrial water supply and power.
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On the other hand, about 20000 people in 38 villages will be affected due to the submergence by Daudhan reservoir and Makodia reservoir.
Concerns:
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About 20000 people in 38 villages will be affected due to the submergence by Daudhan reservoir and Makodia reservoir.
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Ken-Betwa river interlinking project will be the first river project that will be located within a tiger reserve.
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It will submerge about 10% of the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh which has been feted as a model tiger-conservation reserve
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Economic Viability:
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There is a significant financial expense associated with project implementation and maintenance. It is increasing as a result of project delays.
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Technical Viability:
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In the past few years, the river did not always flow in a steady stream.
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Another challenge would be that the Ken River flows 60-70 feet lower than the Betwa River. It requires at least 30% of the 103 MW produced power to pump the water up.
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Update:
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The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has given its clearance for the Ken-Betwa inter-linking of rivers (ILR) project, paving the way to begin work for linking two rivers.
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Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh signed a memorandum of agreement to implement the Ken Betwa Link Project(KBLP).