The government on Monday said the Ken-Betwa Link Project is the only priority link project under the National Perspective Plan (NPP) that has entered the implementation stage, while 30 Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) projects have been identified under the plan.
In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary said the government had formulated the NPP for inter-basin water transfer and 30 ILR projects were identified under it, comprising 16 link projects under the Peninsular component and 14 under the Himalayan component.
"National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has been entrusted with the work of ILR," the minister said.
The Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP), the only priority link project under the NPP that has entered the implementation stage, has an estimated cost of Rs 44,605 crore.
The project is envisaged to provide irrigation to about 11.88 lakh hectares, drinking water supply to about 62 lakh people, 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar power, according to the reply.
In addition, the Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP), which incorporates the Godavari (Polavaram)-Krishna (Vijayawada) link, stands classified as a national project and is executed by the Andhra Pradesh government and the Polavaram Project Authority.
The project envisages irrigation to about 7.2 lakh acres and the stabilisation of 23.5 lakh acres in the Godavari and Krishna delta systems, diversion of 80 TMC of Godavari water to the Krishna basin, drinking and industrial water supply, including to Visakhapatnam, domestic water supply to about 28.5 lakh people in 611 villages and hydropower generation of 960 MW.
The PIP has received a cumulative central assistance of Rs 20,658 crore, Choudhary said.
According to the reply, the 30 projects under the Peninsular and Himalayan components are at various stages, including feasibility reports, detailed project reports (DPRs), pre-feasibility reports and implementation.
Under the Peninsular component, the modified Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal link has an MoA for implementation signed by Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, while the Ken-Betwa link has a completed DPR and work has commenced.
The Damanganga-Pinjal link and the Par-Tapi-Narmada link have completed DPRs and have been dropped from the status of "priority links".
Under the Himalayan component, the Sarda-Yamuna link has a completed DPR, while the Kosi-Ghaghra, Gandak-Ganga and Ghaghra-Yamuna links have completed feasibility reports.
The Kosi-Mechi inter-state link has a completed pre-feasibility report and the proposal has been dropped.
The government said the Kosi-Mechi inter-state link was dropped due to international dimensions and, on the request of the Bihar government, the Kosi-Mechi intra-state link was studied by the NWDA and its DPR submitted to the state government.
The government said environmental and socio-economic impacts are assessed as part of the preparation of feasibility reports and DPRs for ILR projects.
"An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) forms part of the preparation of Feasibility Reports (FRs) and Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for every Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) project, with assessment of environmental and socio-economic impacts," Choudhary said.
For the Ken-Betwa Link Project, a comprehensive EIA has been completed along with an Integrated Landscape Management Plan, which outlines measures relating to catchment-area treatment, landscape-level ecological management, biodiversity conservation, command-area development and long-term monitoring of environmental parameters.
For all ILR projects, including the Ken-Betwa Link Project, Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) components stand included in the sanctioned project structure, the government said.
"Project execution conforms to applicable environmental, forest-clearance and R&R provisions," the reply said.
(With inputs from PTI)