Inter Basin Water Transfer Link Project of India

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River-link scheme to benefit Bangladesh: Indian taskforce chief

Staff Correspondent
The Daily Star
Wed. October 15, 2003.

Bangladesh will benefit from India's proposed project of interlinking rivers, says Suresh Prabhu who heads the taskforce on the controversial multibillion-dollar plan.

On how India will get countries like Bangladesh to agree to the project, Prabhu told the Economic Times in an interview, "We are negotiating. Even Bhutan and Nepal must agree. If Nepal agrees, it would be the biggest beneficiary of this project. We have to convince them."

"Eighty percent of the water in Bangladesh originates from Indian rivers … Bangladesh would actually be a beneficiary of this project," says Prabhu.

"Anyway, our objective is to do what is within our best interests without violating any international law, without being unfair to Bangladesh," he said adding "but if they still object, it is not right thing for them to do".

Prabhu said per capita availability of water in Bangladesh is 12 times higher than in India.

But experts in Bangladesh said the Indian plan of diverting up to a third of the water flow of the Brahmaputra and some other rivers to southern Indian rivers to provide 173 billion cubic metres of water a year for Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka states, would impact Bangladesh.

Water resources ministry officials told The Daily Star that Bangladesh having 54 rivers common with India depends on the water flow of the Ganges and Brahmaputra for 85 percent of its water in dry season.

Bangladesh depends on the Brahmaputra the most, as it is the source of 65 percent of its dry season water. If the water is diverted from the rivers, particularly in dry season, it would cause immense sufferings to people in the lower riparian country, they added.

The interlink project envisages construction of some big and medium dams for inter-basin transfer of water from surplus river basins to water deficit basins.

About the opposition to building of large dams on environmental grounds, Prabhu said, "We have not created as many dams as are required. In fact, we need them more than the US because our peninsular water system is largely rain-fed and not snow-fed like the US."

Acknowledging that construction of dams would have a "seismic effect and displace a lot of people," he said, "There has to be a trade-off. We should have the maximum storage with the least damage. Some damage is inevitable. But the benefits of the project would far outweigh the damage."

Asked if the project is technically feasible, the taskforce chief said all Indian institutes of technology, dubbed as premier institutions of learning, have been asked to oversee the technological aspect of the project.

The project, he said, is expected to create 35 million hectares of additional irrigation and about 35,000 megawatts of electricity, develop waterways and increase agricultural production by 40-50 million tonnes.

On how Indian states will be made to agree to the project, Prabhu said, "We have to take them along. And that is only possible if the project is a win-win proposition for the states. So we are asking all the states to prepare a master plan."

Source: The Daily Star.

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