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MPPSC

DAILY
CLASS NOTES
Geography

Lecture – 36
Sustainable Agriculture and River
Interlinking Project
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Sustainable Agriculture and River Interlinking Project

National water policy

❖ The National Water Policy aims to address water scarcity and manage water
resources optimally and sustainably.
❖ It emphasizes integrated water resource management, efficient use, and equitable
distribution, with a focus on meeting drinking water, irrigation, and ecological
needs.
❖ The policy also addresses the need for a national water framework law and promotes
water conservation through various measures.
❖ Water governance refers to the range of political, social, economic and administrative
systems that are in place for the development and management of water resources
and the delivery of water services at different levels of society.
❖ It is simply the enabling environment where water management functions take place.
It includes:
➢ Policies, strategies, plans, finance and incentive structures relating to water
resources.
➢ Legal and regulatory frameworks and institutions relating to water.
➢ Planning, decision-making and monitoring processes. It emphasizes responsible
action to protect and ensure the sustainable use of water resources.
Constitutional framework:
❖ Article 262: Parliament may by law provide for the adjudication of any dispute with
respect to the use, distribution or control of the waters of any interstate river or
river valley. Provided that neither the Supreme Court nor any other court shall
exercise jurisdiction in respect of any such dispute.
❖ Inter-State River Water Disputes (ISRWD) Act, 1956: Provides for the constitution
of a Water Disputes Tribunal by the Central Government for the adjudication of
water disputes. So far 9 Water Disputes Tribunals have been constituted, out of
which five have been dissolved and 4 are still operational.
❖ River Boards Act, 1956: Provides for the establishment of River Boards by the
Centre for the regulation and development of inter-State rivers and river valleys.
❖ Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974: Provides for the Central
Pollution Control Board and the concerned State Boards to monitor, control and
give directions relating to sewage and plant effluents that were established.
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❖ Environment (Protection) Act, 1986: It empowers the Central Government to

establish responsible authorities with the mandate of preventing environmental
pollution in all its forms.
❖ Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) Jal Shakti: National apex agency under the
Ministry entrusted with the responsibility of providing scientific inputs for
management, exploration, monitoring, augmentation and regulation of groundwater
resources.
❖ Central Water Commission (CWC): The premier technical organization entrusted with
the general responsibilities of coordinating schemes for flood control, irrigation,
control and conservation of water for drinking purposes in consultation with the
State Governments.
❖ National Institute of Hydrology: The premier research organization working in the
field of hydrology and water resources in India under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
❖ National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG): Registered Society functioning as the
implementation arm of the National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection and
Management of River Ganga (referred to as the National Ganga Council), headed by
the Prime Minister, constituted under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
Water Governance: Global Scenario:
❖ Helsinki Rules on the Use of Water of International Rivers: It is an international
guideline that regulates how rivers and their associated groundwater that cross
national boundaries can be used, adopted by the International Law Association (ILA)
in 1966.
❖ Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: It is an intergovernmental treaty that provides a
framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
❖ Sustainable Development Goal 6: It is related to the availability of clean water and
sanitation for all by the year 2030.
❖ Jal Shakti Abhiyan (2019): Under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the aim is to conserve
water through rainwater harvesting, renovation of traditional and other river bodies,
etc.
❖ Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM): It was launched in the year 2019 with the ambitious
target of providing tap water supply to every rural household by the year 2024.
❖ Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0: It includes
provisions for rainwater harvesting through stormwater drains. Through the
preparation of an 'aquifer management plan', it also seeks to create a strategy for
groundwater recharge.
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❖ Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY): It aims to increase the physical
access of water to farms, expand cultivable area under assured irrigation, improve
water use efficiency in farms, implement sustainable water conservation practices,
etc.
It has three components/schemes
❖ Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP),
❖ Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI) Scheme.
❖ Repair, Renovation and Restoration of Water Bodies (RRR) Scheme and Surface
Minor Irrigation (SMI) Scheme.

➢ Mission Amrit Sarovar: Includes provision for construction/rejuvenation of at

least 75 Amrit Sarovars in each district for water harvesting and conservation.

➢ National Aquifer Mapping (NQIM) Project: It includes water conservation

measures through recharge structures covering the entire mappable area of about
25 lakh sq km shared with the States for implementation.

River Linking Project

❖ First recommended by Sir Arthur Cotton in the 19th century.

❖ This idea was revisited in 1960 by KL Rao, the then Minister of State for Energy
and Irrigation of India, who proposed linking the Ganga and Kaveri rivers.
❖ In 1977, Captain Dastur proposed to build a canal chain around the Himalayas, the
central region and peninsular India.
❖ The National Water Development Agency was set up by former Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi in 1982 for the river interlinking project.
❖ In 2002, the Supreme Court asked the government to finalize the plan for
interlinking of rivers by 2003 and execute it by 2016.
❖ In 2003, a task force was constituted by the government for the same.
❖ In 2012, the Supreme Court again asked the government to start the project.
❖ In 2014, the Ken-Betwa river interlinking project received cabinet approval.
❖ Its objective is to transfer surplus water from some rivers to water deficient river
basins.
❖ Under the National Perspective Plan, the National Water Development Agency has
identified 30 links (16 under Peninsular region and 14 under Himalayan region) for
preparation of Feasibility Reports (FR).
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Benefits of River Linking Project-

❖ Management of floods and droughts
❖ Expansion of irrigation network
❖ Domestic and industrial water supply.
❖ Shipping facilities.
❖ Creation of employment opportunities.
❖ Fisheries .
❖ Control of salinity.
❖ Pollution control.
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Challenges-

❖ This requires large amounts of energy and canals.

❖ Submergence of forests and villages
❖ International water disputes and inter-state water disputes like – Karnataka, Tamil
Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry etc.
❖ Blocking of rivers causes damage to the river ecosystem.
❖ Indian monsoon climate: Rainy months and dry months occur at the same time
throughout the country.
❖ Dams and canals: Lack of proper management of floods.
❖ Plateau higher than northern plains (difficult to pump water from plains to
peninsula
❖ The Shah Committee said interlinking of rivers would affect the natural supply of
nutrients to agricultural lands by reducing flooding in low-lying areas.

Way forward

❖ The largest, cheapest, most benign, possibly fastest and most decentralized storage
option for India is groundwater aquifers.
❖ Invest in water conservation, more efficient irrigation and better farming practices.
❖ We need a mandatory, enforceable river policy aimed at treating rivers as national
treasures.
❖ There is a need to build responsibility, capacity and accountability in our water
management institutions to revive our rivers.
❖ There will be judicious use of canal water, growing crops suitable for an area,
encouraging drip irrigation and reviving traditional systems like tanks.

Ken-Betwa Link Project

❖ This is India's first river linking project.

❖ State- Ambitious project of Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar
Pradesh.
❖ Cabinet approval- Approval was given by the Central Government in December
2021.
❖ Cost- 44600 crores.
❖ Benefited districts-M.P. And U.P. 14 districts of Uttar Pradesh will benefit from this
which include- Damoh, Panna, Datia, Tikamgarh, Mahoba, Lalitpur, Jhansi, Banda.
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❖ Construction of Dam - Daudhan Dam (77 meters long and 2 km wide) will be
constructed.
❖ Length of the canal: A 231-kilometer-long canal will be constructed.
❖ Special
➢ Work on this started during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee NDA government from
1999 to 2004.
➢ It was signed by Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and the Central Government in
2005.
➢ The Ken-Betwa River Project received environmental clearance in 2007.
❖ Benefits-
➢ 130 MW electricity will be produced in which 103 MW hydro power and 27 MW
solar energy will be produced.
➢ Irrigation facilities will be available in 10 lakh hectare area.
➢ Supply of drinking water to 62 lakh people will be ensured.
❖ Challenges-
➢ Problem of reconstruction and rehabilitation due to displacement.
➢ People from 21 villages will be displaced from Panna Tiger Reserve. These include
seven villages in Panna district and 14 villages in Chhatarpur.
➢ Environmental concern - About 5800 hectare area of Panna Tiger Reserve will
come under the submergence zone.
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Parvati-Kalisindh-Chambal Link Project

❖ The Parvati-Kalisindh-Chambal Link Project is an ambitious project between Madhya

Pradesh and Rajasthan that aims to provide drinking water to the water-scarce
areas in southern Rajasthan by harvesting the excess water coming during the rainy
season in rivers like Chambal, Kunnu, Parvati, and Kalisindh. And providing
irrigation facilities.
❖ Cost: 72000 crore rupees.
❖ 26 districts of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan will benefit.
❖ A total of 17 dams and barrages will be built in Madhya Pradesh—Indore, Ujjain,
Dhar, Guna, Sheopur, Shivpuri, Gwalior, Bhind, Shajapur and Agar-Malwa.
❖ A total of 6.17 lakh hectares of land will be irrigated in Madhya Pradesh.

Sustainable Agriculture

❖ Sustainable agriculture is a farming system that meets the needs of the present while
preserving natural resources for future generations. Sustainable agriculture protects
the environment and improves food quality, public health, and biodiversity.
❖ It includes various practices and principles such as cropping patterns, organic
farming, community-supported agriculture, etc., which focus on environmental
management, economic profitability, and social equity.

Benefits of Sustainable Agriculture

Environmental Protection
❖ Soil fertility is maintained.
❖ Water resources are conserved.
❖ Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used less, which reduces pollution.
❖ Biodiversity is promoted.
Economic benefits to farmers
❖ Production capacity is maintained for a long time.
❖ Cost of farming is low because natural resources are used.
❖ Organic products get a good price.
Healthy food
❖ Chemical free food is obtained.
❖ Nutrient rich crops are grown.
❖ Consumers get safe and healthy food.
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Sustainability and preparation for the future

❖ Helps in facing climate change.
❖ Long-term stability is achieved in farming.
❖ Availability of natural resources is maintained for future generations as well.
Social benefits
❖ Local communities develop.
❖ Rural employment increases.
❖ Food security is ensured.

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