Why Shivraj Chouhan’s Narmada Kshipra link is a non-starter 

On November 29, 2012, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani had laid the foundation stone for a project that would link the Narmada river with the Kshipra in Ujjaini village of Indore district. It was a time when state elections were just a year away, and Chouhan had made tall claims that the old water flow of the Kshipra would be restored. Stating that the project would solve the chronic water shortage in the Malwa region, the CM had claimed that the project would be completed within one year. It would save hundreds of villages in Malwa from desertification, it was claimed.

Cut to 2016, and it has been a year now since the project has been completed. But, the water from the Narmada has not been diverted to the Kshipra, barring during the month-long Simhastha Kumbh Mela. The annual cost of running the project is estimated to be at least Rs 550 crore, almost Rs 100 crore more than its total construction cost. This enormous cost has led many experts to question the viability of the entire enterprise.

Several environmentalists feel the whole idea of linking the Narmada to the Kshipra goes against the geography of the region. Adding operational costs to it makes it a loss-making venture.

A complicated and expensive affair

The river Narmada flows through the Satpura mountain range, whereas the Kshipra traverses the Malwa plateau. The project entails lifting water from the Narmada to the Kshipra, which is situated at a much higher altitude. A 50-kilometre-long pipeline has been constructed between the two rivers. The water will require lifting from the Narmada valley to a height of about 550 metres to reach the Kshipra. Needless to say, it is a daunting and expensive task. Technical experts say an enormous amount of electricity is required to lift water to such a height. The administration has to ensure that the two pumping stations built for the purpose are functional round-the-clock.

According to sources in the Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA), lifting a thousand litres of Narmada water through this project would cost approximately Rs 36. The government plans to transfer nearly 3.60 lakh cubic metres of water every day to the Kshipra, through machines running 24x7 on electricity. Electricity prices are only going to rise in the future, making this project even

more unsustainable. There’s no way water can go against the law of gravity without human intervention. However, in this project, the state government is taking the water uphill. Considering the amount of money, time, labour and official machinery invested in the project, the whole idea defies all logic. “Ideally, the government should have tried to expand the catchment area of these rivers. However, the government is trying to borrow water from the rivers of other regions to enliven the rivers of this area.” The question is,

Does Narmada have surplus water?

The fundamental principle of river-linking mandates that only surplus water is transferred from a river. So, the moot question is, does the Narmada have surplus water after fulfilling the needs of drinking water, agriculture and industries? The Washington-based World Resources Centre has included Narmada among the top six ‘endangered’ rivers of the world.

The Central Water Commission has admitted that water flow in Narmada has reduced by almost half during recent years. In contrast, the total population in the Narmada valley is expected to exceed five crore people by the year 2026. It will put immense pressure on the river. “The government has not explained whether there is enough water in the Narmada to fulfil the needs of the people at the places downstream of where the water will be diverted to the Kshipra river,” says water scientist KG Vyas. The government has disclosed the total cost of the project, but no figure has been given about the loss to the Narmada valley, or the total profit to the state.