Ken-Betwa Link Project Advances as India's First River Interlinking Scheme Under Implementation
The National Perspective Plan for Inter-Basin Water Transfer comprises 30 Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) projects, including 16 under the Peninsular component and 14 under the Himalayan component. The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has been entrusted with planning and implementation of these projects.
Apart from the Ken-Betwa project, the Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP), which incorporates the Godavari (Polavaram)-Krishna (Vijayawada) link, is being executed as a National Project by the Government of Andhra Pradesh and the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA). The project is designed to provide irrigation to 7.2 lakh acres, stabilise irrigation over 23.5 lakh acres, divert 80 TMC of Godavari water to the Krishna basin, supply drinking and industrial water, including to Visakhapatnam, provide domestic water to 28.5 lakh people across 611 villages, and generate 960 MW of hydropower. The Centre has provided ₹20,658 crore in cumulative assistance for the project.
The government stated that every river interlinking project undergoes a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) during the preparation of feasibility and detailed project reports. For the Ken-Betwa Link Project, a detailed EIA has been completed along with an Integrated Landscape Management Plan (ILMP) covering catchment treatment, biodiversity conservation, ecological management, command area development and long-term environmental monitoring.
According to the Ministry, all Interlinking of Rivers projects incorporate provisions for land acquisition and rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) within their sanctioned project framework, with implementation aligned to applicable environmental and forest clearance norms.
Published on:
11 August 2026
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