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Indian subcontinent has been endowed with bountiful water resources, yet India faces scarcity of water because the spatial distribution of water resources is skewed with some regions having plentiful whereas others facing shortages. It is in this regard that interlinking of perennial Himalayan rivers with peninsular rivers having poor water regime will address the problem of water scarcity and thus enable man to cultivate wastelands and inhabit new lands.
However the project of interlinking perennial Himalayan rivers with the peninsular rivers having an ephemeral water regime is fraught with many challenges such as impact on ecology of river as reduced volume of water on account of transfer of water from a river with abundant water to river with less volume of water would reduce the carrying capacity of the former river. Secondly, interlinking would have a negative impact on ecosystem surrounding the abundant river’s course downstream such as formation of relief features as reduction in volume of water will reduce the river’s eroding and denudation capacity. Thirdly, livelihood opportunities will be created as rivers become navigable and promote inland waterways as an affordable means of transportation. Livelihood opportunities will also be lost when the river with abundant water is left with reduced water flow that is unable to carry silt and gravel to deltas downstream. The rivers losing water might also become unnavigable in lean years especially in winter months when Himalayan rivers neither receive rainfall nor get water from frozen glaciers. In such lean years their ability to transfer water to their peninsular counterparts would also fall and thus agriculture in the river basin of southern rivers would have to adjust to such lean years.
The diversion of water would enable man to bring under cultivation barren lands, wastelands and thus practice extensive agriculture which is less dependent on expensive agricultural inputs. This would increase the area under cultivation and make available food sources near to areas of habitation. In central India where the semi-arid climate permits only cultivation of millets and pulses, the price of water intensive food-grains and cereals is high. Interlinking would raise the water table in such areas and enable the cultivation of even water intensive crops which earlier had to be imported from neighboring states. However there is a limit on the extent to which irrigation intensity can be raised and thus agriculture in India would continue to be rain-fed.
These new areas that are made habitable with the water from interlinked rivers would act as satellite towns to already congested nearby cities and their planned city architecture would provide smart dwelling places with sustainable civic facilities such as sewage, garbage, transport etc. These towns would be better located and reap benefits of proximate location to rivers. This in true sense would help India develop a pan India market where price discovery on account of speedy and cost effective logistics would impart India the status of unified common market. The APMC Act which prohibits sale of agricultural produce of one state in another state would also need to be reconsidered in light of cheaper ways of transportation. The interlinked rivers would enable use of ships with cold storage facilities and thus reduce post harvest agricultural losses.
However, the impact on ecology needs to be further studied and cost of interlinking rivers needs more detailed analysis in terms of socio-economic appraisal.
By: Abhinav ProfileResourcesReport error
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