New Delhi: Four major river interlinking proposals designed to benefit Odisha have reached the completed feasibility report stage under the Union Government’s National Perspective Plan for Inter-Basin Water Transfer, according to an update presented in Parliament by the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
The status report, submitted in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha by Minister of State for Jal Shakti Shri Raj Bhushan Choudhary, details the progress of 30 national interlinking projects managed by the National Water Development Agency.
Under the Peninsular component of the plan, two key link projects directly concern Odisha. The feasibility reports have been completed for both the Mahanadi (Manibhadra) to Godavari (Dowlaiswaram) link and its proposed variant, the alternate Mahanadi (Barmul) to Rushikulya to Godavari (Dowlaiswaram) link. Both projects aim to optimize water transfer between the Mahanadi and Godavari basins, benefiting Odisha and neighboring Andhra Pradesh. The Ministry noted that pending consensus on the proposed Manibhadra dam, alternate divertive alignments have been evaluated under Phase-I planning to make use of available river waters.
Additionally, under the Himalayan component of the interlinking framework, two further projects involving Odisha have achieved feasibility report completion. These are the Ganga (Farakka) to Damodar to Subarnarekha link, intended to serve West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand, alongside the Subarnarekha to Mahanadi link, which covers West Bengal and Odisha.