Interlinking of rivers remains one of India’s most ambitious water management initiatives, aimed at addressing floods, droughts and regional water imbalances. In an exclusive interview with APAC Media, Shajatnan K.H., Director (Technical), National Water Development Agency (NWDA), explained how the agency is driving the National Perspective Plan for water resources development, the complexities of building consensus among states and the role of data-driven planning and environmental safeguards in river linking projects.
He also outlined progress on priority links such as the Ken-Betwa project and the modified Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal link, highlighting how coordinated Centre–State engagement is central to advancing India’s long-term water security agenda.
NWDA has been working on river interlinking for over four decades now. From your perspective, how has the role of the agency evolved, and how critical is river interlinking today in addressing India’s water stress and regional imbalances?
National Perspective Plan (NPP) for Water Resources Development was formulated by the Government of India in 1980 for providing storage and transfer of surplus waters to water-deficient regions so as to mitigate the ravages of annually recurring floods and droughts due to erratic monsoon in the country. The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has been entrusted with the work of Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) Projects under the National Perspective Plan (NPP).
The link projects under NPP are judicially planned and designed to transfer water from surplus basins to the deficit / water-short basins and thus, minimising water going to sea unutilised and mitigating the effects of floods and droughts to some extent. The flood water from flood-prone / water surplus river basins would be diverted to water-deficient regions and would also recharge ground water table, tanks and canals in the command areas. NWDA has identified 30 links (16 under the Peninsular Component and 14 under the Himalayan Component) under NPP.
What lessons has NWDA drawn from these priorities that will shape future river-linking initiatives?
Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) programme is being pursued in a consultative manner, building consensus amongst party states for the implementation of these projects. The cooperation of States is paramount in the implementation ofthe Interlinking of Rivers projects. The consensus-building amongst states is the most challenging task due to apprehensions of States related to water sharing.
River interlinking projects often raise questions around environmental impact and displacement. How does NWDA balance development needs with environmental sustainability and concerns of local communities?
To address environmental and social impact assessments for ILR Projects, for every river linking project, a detailed Environmental Impact Study (EIA) is done at the stage of preparation of Feasibility Reports (FRs) and Detailed Project Reports(DPRs). An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study is carried out to identify positive and negative impacts of the project on the physical, biological and socio-economic environment. Detailed study on soil type, climate type, ground water quality, biological environment, floral diversity, Forests and Wildlife, Ground water Recharge, Change of hydrological regime of river, Public health aspects, Employment Potential generated, Project affected families, Submergence area etc. and other socio economic characteristics is done at stage of preparation of DPRs along with proposal of Environment Management Plan to mitigate the assessed impacts.
Given that water is a state subject, how challenging is it to build consensus among states for inter-basin and intra-state river linking projects and what role does NWDA play in facilitating this cooperation
Consensus among States remains a major challenge in the implementation of the Interlinking of Rivers Programme.
The government of India is making concerted efforts for consensus-building among concerned States. Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) programme is being pursued in a consultative manner by building consensus amongst party states for the implementation of mature link projects. The cooperation of States is paramount in the implementation of the Interlinking of Rivers projects. Vigorous Efforts are being made by the government to bring the concerned States on board.
All the study reports prepared by NWDA are circulated to the concerned State Govts. For their views/comments. The State Govt. officers are invariably invited to all the important meetings like the Annual General Meeting of NWDA Society, the Governing Body meeting of NWDA, the Special Committee for Interlinking of Rivers (SCILR), as well as Task Force for Interlinking of Rivers (TFILR) meetings for their active interaction and involvement in deliberations related to link projects. The conflicting issues are being deliberated in these meetings to arrive at a suitable solution for taking the link projects forward for implementation.
Large river-linking and water management projects generate massive amounts of data from surveys, hydrology, terrain and climate studies. How is NWDA using digital tools, data integration and modern monitoring technologies to improve planning accuracy and reduce risks during project execution?
NWDA, while the preparation of DPR requires various data, which are obtained from the available sources. Additionally, essential data such as topographical details, Geophysical details, etc., are prepared /obtained from the field and incorporated in the DPR. This information is used to prepare detailed designs and estimates, and also to prepare Project Implementation Plans, etc.
Looking ahead, what are NWDA’s key priorities and project milestones over the next few years under the National Perspective Plan and how do these future projects align with India’s long-term water security and climate resilience goals?
Five links under NPP have been identified as priority links, viz, Ken Betwa Link Project, Godavari -Cauvery link project {consisting of three links Godavari (Inchampalli) – Krishna (Nagarjunasagar), Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) – Pennar (Somasila), Pennar (Somasila)-Cauvery} and Modified Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal (Modified PKC) link project.
The Ken-Betwa link project (KBLP): KBLPÂ is the first link of NPP that is under implementation.
Honourable Prime Minister has laid the foundation stone for the project on 25.12.2024. The project is planned to be completed in a period of 8 years, by March, 2030.
Modified Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal link project :
Modified Parbati – Kalisindh – Chambal (Modified PKC) link, incorporating the components as proposed by the Govt. of Madhya Pradesh in Kuno, Parbati and Kalisindh sub-basins, along with components of ERCP, has been framed. MoU for preparation of DPR was signed by both the States (MP and Rajasthan) on 28.01.2024 and MoA for implementation was signed in December, 2024.
MoPKC link proposal is the second link project in line to be taken up for implementation.
Godavari – Cauvery link project: The link project comprises 3 segments (Godavari (Inchampalli) – Krishna (Nagarjunasagar), Krishna (Nagarjunasagar) – Pennar (Somasila), Pennar (Somasila)-Cauvery). DPR of  Godavari- Cauvery link project was circulated to party States / UT in April 2021 for the transfer of 7000 MCM of Godavari water. 6 consultation meetings with party States have been held so far. DPR of Modified proposal as per 3rd consultation meeting for transfer of 4189 MCM was prepared by NWDA and circulated in January, 2024.
Draft MoA for implementation has been shared with concerned States in April, 2024. Efforts are being made by the Ministry of Jal Shakti for consensus-building among the concerned states.
