Context: At the Southern Zonal Council meeting in Mamallapuram, Union Home Minister Amit Shah emphasised the need for an early resolution of water disputes in southern India.
- He also advocated linking major rivers from the Brahmaputra to the Godavari and Cauvery, arguing that river interlinking could ensure that India faces no water shortage for 100 years.
- However, India's experience with inter-State water disputes shows that water management involves complex legal, federal, ecological and socio-economic challenges.
Persistent Inter-State Water Disputes
- The Pennaiyar dispute illustrates the difficulty of resolving inter-State river conflicts. Tamil Nadu sought a tribunal in 2019, alleging violation of the 1892 inter-State agreement by Karnataka.
- Despite two negotiation committees and 11 meetings, the dispute remained unresolved; the Supreme Court subsequently directed the Centre to constitute a tribunal and later extended the deadline.
- The Centre instead questioned whether the dispute could be referred to the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal, despite the two disputes having different contexts and the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956 not providing for such a transfer.
- Similarly, the Centre has not yet responded to Tamil Nadu's demand for a tribunal concerning the Mekedatu dam project proposed by Karnataka.
Why River Interlinking Is Controversial
- Proponents argue that interlinking would involve diverting only a portion of surplus water, without disturbing the natural flow of rivers.
- Critics argue that defining “surplus water” itself is difficult because river flows vary seasonally and are increasingly affected by climate variability.
- Once water is transferred to a region, that region may demand continued supplies even during periods of scarcity, potentially affecting the rights of downstream or original beneficiaries.
- Large-scale river diversion can also alter riverine ecosystems, wetlands, sediment flows, groundwater recharge and biodiversity.
- Kerala, for instance, opposes the Pamba–Achankovil–Vaippar link, arguing that it could adversely affect the Vembanad wetland system, into which the Pamba and Achankovil drain.
- The National Water Development Agency (NWDA), however, maintains that the project accounts for maintaining/improving river flows during lean periods.
Inter-Basin Water Transfer in India
- Inter-basin transfer involves transferring water from one river basin to another to address perceived differences between water availability and demand.
- India has implemented relatively few such projects over the past 130+ years, with several notable examples in southern India.
- Important examples include the Mullaperiyar project, Parambikulam–Aliyar project, Krishna Water Supply Project and Indira Gandhi Canal Project.
- However, the limited number of successful projects does not automatically establish the feasibility of implementing large-scale nationwide river interlinking.
Government’s River-Linking Initiative
- In 2014, the Union government constituted a Special Committee for Interlinking of Rivers, which has subsequently held more than two dozen meetings.
- Despite sustained institutional efforts, progress on the broader interlinking programme has remained limited because of inter-State, environmental, financial and rehabilitation-related concerns.
- In 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the ₹44,000-crore Ken–Betwa Link Project.
- The project has subsequently faced opposition and agitation from tribal communities in Chhatarpur, highlighting concerns regarding land, displacement and local livelihoods.
Supply-Side vs Demand-Side Water Management
- Supply-side approach: Seeks to increase water availability through dams, canals, inter-basin transfers and other large infrastructure projects.
- Demand-side management: Focuses on reducing water consumption and improving the efficiency with which existing water resources are used.
- With land becoming increasingly scarce and resistance to land acquisition growing, dependence on mega irrigation projects is becoming more difficult.
- Greater emphasis should therefore be placed on water conservation, efficient irrigation and sustainable management of existing resources.
Groundwater: A Major Concern
- Indiscriminate groundwater extraction, particularly for agriculture, is contributing to declining groundwater levels and long-term ecological stress.
- In several States, free or highly subsidised electricity for agricultural pumping can encourage excessive groundwater extraction because farmers face little marginal cost for pumping.
- Sustainable water management therefore requires better regulation of groundwater extraction alongside incentives for water-efficient agricultural practices.
Way Forward
- Launch large-scale programmes to educate and incentivise farmers to adopt optimal water-use practices, including efficient irrigation technologies and suitable cropping patterns.
- Shift from a predominantly supply-augmentation model to demand-side water management.
- Strengthen water conservation, groundwater regulation and local water-harvesting systems.
- Ensure that major water projects undergo rigorous assessment of their ecological, social and inter-State implications.
- Improve mechanisms for the timely resolution of Inter-State River Water Disputes, as unresolved disputes can undermine even technically viable water-management projects.
- India's long-term water security should ultimately be based not merely on moving more water, but on conserving, equitably allocating and efficiently using the water already available.
