Skip to main content

The Ken-Betwa link project: A misguided megaproject drowning India’s rivers

By Archita Varyani, Dr. Mansee Bal Bhargava* 
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, on December 25, 2024, it was hailed as a historic step to quench the thirst of the drought-prone Bundelkhand region. The project, the first under India’s National River Linking Project, promises to transfer “surplus” water from the Ken River to the Betwa River, irrigating 10.62 lakh hectares, supplying drinking water to 62 lakh people, and generating 130 MW of renewable energy. 
Yet, beneath the fanfare lies a troubling truth: the KBLP is a poorly planned, politically driven endeavor that threatens ecosystems, displaces communities, and lacks transparency. Its flawed decision-making process, exposed in a recent expert discussion, demands that we pause and rethink this megaproject before it sets a dangerous precedent for 29 more river-linking schemes.
The KBLP’s roots trace back to 1919, when Sir Arthur Cotton envisioned interlinking India’s rivers to manage floods and droughts. Revived in the 1980s and pushed forward in 2002 by the Supreme Court, the project gained momentum with a 2021 agreement between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The plan involves building the Daudhan Dam on the Ken River within the Panna Tiger Reserve and a 221-km canal to divert water to the Betwa. Proponents claim it will transform Bundelkhand’s arid districts, but a closer look reveals a project built on shaky assumptions and coerced approvals.
A critical examination of the KBLP’s feasibility came during a Wednesdays.for.Water session organized by the WforW Foundation, a think tank dedicated to water conservation dialogues. The session, titled “The Decision-Making Process of the Ken-Betwa Link Project,” featured two experts who laid bare the project’s shortcomings. Himanshu Thakkar, an engineer from IIT Mumbai and coordinator of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People (SANDRP), questioned the core claim that the Ken River has surplus water. He cited a lack of public data and noted that the Panna District Collector warned that diverting water would leave Panna—one of Madhya Pradesh’s least irrigated districts—permanently parched. Thakkar also highlighted an affidavit from Uttar Pradesh’s Principal Secretary, predicting social unrest over water-sharing conflicts, and pointed out that the Forest Advisory Committee’s call for a hydrological review was ignored. His analysis suggests the KBLP could exacerbate water scarcity rather than resolve it.
The environmental toll is staggering. The Daudhan Dam will submerge 9,000 hectares of the Panna Tiger Reserve’s core, disconnecting 10,500 hectares and felling 46 lakh trees. This threatens tigers, vultures, and the downstream Ken Gharial Sanctuary, undoing decades of conservation. Thakkar noted that the original Panna director, who warned of ecological ruin, was replaced to secure approval, and the National Board for Wildlife’s concerns about wildlife impacts were dismissed. A report from IIT Gandhinagar, cited in the session, warns that climate-driven rainfall changes could render the project unviable, with no surplus in the Ken and no deficit in the Betwa, disrupting monsoons and coastal ecosystems.
The human cost is equally dire, as Nikita D’cruz, an activist working with forest tribal villages in the Panna Tiger Reserve’s buffer zone, emphasized in the session. The KBLP will displace 6,600 families across 10 villages, primarily Adivasi communities whose livelihoods depend on forests. D’cruz described a displacement process marred by a lack of informed consent, unclear relocation plans, and inadequate compensation. Promised payments—five lakh rupees per acre and 12.5 lakh per household—are tangled in bureaucracy, with many lacking land documents. She highlighted a gender disparity, noting that compensation often bypasses women, creating inequities. “The voices of the most vulnerable are silenced,” D’cruz said, underscoring the project’s undemocratic approach. With no rehabilitation strategy, displaced families face an uncertain future.
The WforW session revealed a pattern of manipulated approvals. The Environmental Impact Assessment was riddled with errors, claiming the project would provide a “shortcut” for Yamuna fish while ignoring impacts on tigers and gharials. When the Expert Appraisal Committee hesitated, Jal Shakti Minister Uma Bharti threatened a protest to force clearance. Thakkar pointed out that alternatives, like restoring Bundelkhand’s historic lakes or scaling up field-pond schemes, were never explored, despite being more cost-effective and eco-friendly. This suggests a project driven by political and engineering elites, not the needs of Bundelkhand’s people.
The government claims the KBLP will bring prosperity, but who truly benefits? Past dam projects show water often flows to urban areas or industries, not local farmers. The Betwa’s water deficiency, driven by water-intensive crops, could be addressed through sustainable farming, not a $5 billion dam. Meanwhile, 45 lakh trees and 6,600 families pay the price. As D’cruz poignantly asked, “Who are actually benefiting if not the local people?”
The KBLP is a pilot for India’s plan to interlink 30 rivers, creating a 12,500-km canal network. If this is the model, we’re headed for disaster. Rivers are living systems, not pipelines to be rerouted. The WforW session’s insights echo protests from thousands of villagers, mostly tribals, who fear losing their homes and forests. Environmentalists and experts, including those at the Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee, have called the project illegal and ecologically unsound.
India must halt the KBLP’s fast-tracked construction and commission an independent review, grounded in transparent data and community input. Policymakers should explore alternatives that prioritize sustainability over spectacle. The public must hold leaders accountable, ensuring water projects serve people, not politics. If we let the KBLP proceed unchecked, we risk drowning not just Panna’s forests and villages but India’s trust in equitable development.
---
*Archita Varyani is a Junior Research Fellow at WforW Foundation. Dr. Mansee Bal Bhargava is an entrepreneur, researcher, and educator. Learn more at www.wforw.in

Comments

Post a Comment

TRENDING

Academics urge Azim Premji University to drop FIR against Student Reading Circle

  By A Representative   A group of academics and civil society members has issued an open letter to the leadership of Azim Premji University expressing concern over the filing of a police complaint that led to an FIR against a student-run reading circle following a recent incident of violence on campus. The signatories state that they hold the university in high regard for its commitment to constitutional values, critical inquiry and ethical public engagement, and argue that it is precisely because of this reputation that the present development is troubling.
Post a Comment
»

Was Netaji forced to alter face, die in obscurity in USSR in 1975? Was he so meek?

  By Rajiv Shah   This should sound almost hilarious. Not only did Subhas Chandra Bose not die in a plane crash in Taipei, nor was he the mysterious Gumnami Baba who reportedly passed away on 16 September 1985 in Ayodhya, but we are now told that he actually died in 1975—date unknown—“in oblivion” somewhere in the former Soviet Union. Which city? Moscow? No one seems to know.
1 comment
»

UAPA action against Telangana activist: Criminalising legitimate democratic activity?

By A Representative   The National Investigation Agency's Hyderabad branch has issued notices to more than ten individuals in Telangana in connection with FIR No. RC-04/2025. Those served include activists, former student leaders, civil rights advocates, poets, writers, retired schoolteachers, and local leaders associated with the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Indian National Congress. 
Post a Comment
»

Asbestos contamination in children’s products highlights global oversight gaps

By A Representative   A commentary published by the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) has drawn attention to the challenges governments face in responding effectively to global public-health risks. In an article written by Laurie Kazan-Allen and published on March 5, 2026, the author examines how the discovery of asbestos contamination in children’s play products has raised questions about regulatory oversight and international product safety. The article opens by reflecting on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that governments in several countries were slow to respond to early warning signs of the crisis. Referring to the experience of the United Kingdom, the author writes that delays in implementing protective measures contributed to “232,112 recorded deaths and over a million people suffering from long Covid.” The commentary uses this example to illustrate what it describes as the dangers of underestimating emerging threats. Attention then turns...
Post a Comment
»

Aligning too closely with U.S., allies, India’s silence on IRIS Dena raises troubling questions

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  The reported sinking of the Iranian ship IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka raises troubling questions about international norms and the credibility of the so-called rule-based order. If indeed the vessel was attacked by the American Navy while returning from a joint exercise in Visakhapatnam, it would represent a serious breach of trust and a violation of the principles that govern such cooperative engagements. Warships participating in these exercises are generally not armed for combat; they are meant to symbolize solidarity and friendship. The incident, therefore, is not only shocking but also deeply ironic.
Post a Comment
»

The kitchen as prison: A feminist elegy for domestic slavery

By Garima Srivastava* Kumar Ambuj stands as one of the most incisive voices in contemporary Hindi poetry. His work, stripped of ornamentation, speaks directly to the lived realities of India’s marginalized—women, the rural poor, and those crushed under invisible forms of violence. His celebrated poem “Women Who Cook” (Khānā Banātī Striyāṃ) is not merely about food preparation; it is a searing indictment of patriarchal domestic structures that reduce women’s existence to endless, unpaid labour.
Post a Comment
»

India’s foreign policy at crossroads: Cost of silence in the face of aggression

By Venkatesh Narayanan, Sandeep Pandey  The widely anticipated yet unprovoked attack on Iran on March 1 by the United States and Israel has drawn sharp criticism from several quarters around the world. Reports indicate that the strikes have resulted in significant civilian casualties, including 165 elementary school girls, 20 female volleyball players, and many other civilians. 
Post a Comment
»

India’s green energy push faces talent crunch amidst record growth at 16% CAGR

By Jag Jivan*  A new study by a top consulting firm has found that India’s cleantech sector is entering a decisive growth phase, with strong policy backing, record capacity additions and surging investor interest, but facing mounting pressure on talent supply and rising compensation costs .
Post a Comment
»

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah  Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".
51 comments
»