Several states led by Kerala, as also water experts, have expressed apprehension on the
proposed inter linking of rivers mooted by the central government.
Bihar, Punjab, Karnataka and Sikkim say inter-basin water transfer needs to be studied in greater detail.
Kerala has taken the stand that long distance inter-basin water transfer will not work.
The state’s rivers depend on the monsoon and Kerala needs water for its own network of channels especially during the summer months.
Punjab maintains that water surplus states must give water to deficit states. The stand of Bihar is more complex because all its rivers emanate from Nepal and water diversion would require the permission of a neighbouring nation.
Physicist Prof Vikram Soni contends that “rivers have an ecological identity which has evolved over millions of years and once damaged cannot be reclaimed.
Our rivers are hopelessly overdrawn, silted and polluted and we cannot afford to cause further injury to rivers.”
Magasaysay awardee Rajendra Singh is also critical of this project warning that entire villages and towns will disappear, apart from destroying millions of acres of forest and farm land.
Each river has its own geo character and its flora and fauna are also different. By interlinking the river basins, everything will be destroyed,’ said Singh.