A Task Force has
been set up on interlinking of rivers with Shri Suresh Prabhu
as chairperson, Shri C.C. Patel as vice-chairman and Dr. C.D.
Thatte as member secretary. Members from other areas like economics,
sociology law and wild life will be inducted in the Task Force
in due course. The Task Force has been set up to suggest modalities
for arriving at consensus amongst the States and transfer of surplus
water to deficit areas besides identifying major links which could
be implemented on a priority basis. This was stated by Shri Arjun
Charan Sethi, Minister of Water Resources while addressing the
members of Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his
ministry here today.
The Minister pointed
out that it would be necessary to increase irrigation potential
to 160 million hectares for all crops by the year 2050 while the
maximum irrigation potential that could be created through conventional
sources has been estimated at 140 million hectares. Interlinking
of rivers will provide the requisite solution to the goal of attaining
an irrigation potential of 160 million hectares. The National
Water Development Agency (NWDA) which had been entrusted with
the task of studying feasibility of inter basin water transport
proposals has identified 30 inter basin water transfer links.
While, the feasibility reports of six links under peninsular component
have been completed, surveys and investigations are in progress
for another 18 links in the peninsular and Himalayan region, the
Minister informed. The tentative cost of implementation of proposed
identified links of the National Perspective Plan (NPP) both under
Peninsular and Himalayan components at 2002 price level is estimated
at Rs.5,60,000 crore.
Shri Sethi also informed
the members that the interlinking proposals when completed would
give additional irrigation benefit of 35 million hectares over
and above the ultimate irrigation potential 140 million hectares
from conventional irrigation projects. This would also result
in generating 34 million KW of hydropower and substantial flood
control benefits in the Ganga and Bramaputra basins besides preventing
drought in the drought prone areas in the country; the Minister
said and called for the co-operation of State Governments in implementing
the interlinking process.
The Members of the
Consultative Committee suggested that a meeting of the Chief Ministers
of all the States be convened to solve the problem associated
with interlinking of rivers and sharing of river waters. They
also suggested an amicable solution for the resettlement of the
population that would be affected in the process. The members
who attended the meeting include:- Smt. Bijoya Chakravarty , Minister
of State for Water Resources, S/Shri Bikram Keshari Deo, Kanti
Lal Bhuria, A. Krishnaswamy and H.K. Javare Gowda.
