National Board for Wildlife approves first phase of Ken-Betwa project

National Board for Wildlife approves first phase of Ken-Betwa project The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) on 20 September 2016 approved 10000 crore rupees Ken-Betwa project, India’s first inter-State river interlinking project. With this, India will have a river project will be located within a tiger reserve for the first time. About Ken-Betwa project • It will irrigate the drought-prone Bundelkhand region but will also submerge about 10 percent of the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. • The main feature of the project is a 230-km long canal and a series of barrages and dams connecting the Ken and Betwa rivers. • It will irrigate 3.5 lakh hectares in Madhya Pradesh and 14000 hectares of Uttar Pradesh in Bundelkhand. • The key areas are the Makodia and Dhaudhan dams, the latter expected to be 77 m high and responsible for submerging 5803 hectares of tiger habitat in the Panna tiger reserve. • Chhatarpur, Panna, Tikamgarh, Raisen, and Vidisha districts of Madhya Pradesh and Mahoba, Jhansi and Banda districts of Uttar Pradesh will benefit from assured irrigation supply, water supply and power. • On the other hand, about 6388 people in 10 villages will be affected due to the submergence by Daudhan reservoir. • Around 13499 people living in the 28 villages will be affected due to the submergence by Makodia reservoir and will have to be resettled. • Seventeen lakh residents of nearby towns and villages in both States will benefit from improved drinking water and irrigation facilities.