The Ganga river basin is being modified by the building of infrastructure to trap and divert water. There are many environmental repercussions resulting from this dam and canal construction. That is not the topic of this note.
Will there be enough water available for these different projects?
First, the Inland Waterways project will need water to be released from upstream dams to maintain a certain water depth in the navigable channel in the summer months. Second is the River Linking Plan, based on the rationale that there is excess water in the Gangetic system. The plan envisages transferring Ganga system water during the summer months to the southern Peninsular rivers. And third, the Uttarakhand dam building companies will try to keep as much water locked up behind dams for power generation in the summers.
Over and above the water requirements of these projects, environmental regulations will require a certain amount of water flow to be maintained throughout the year in the river. This will be detrimental to the river linking and power generation projects.
Each of these massive waterworks will be competing for a limited amount of Ganga water during the same time of the year. This allocation problem will lead to water disputes, both, among the managers of these projects, and across different States. As a result, these projects are unlikely to operate optimally.
I haven't come across an official water budget analysis projected 100 years into the future, that takes into account water availability and the impact that these three projects will have on each other.
Will there be enough water available for these different projects?
First, the Inland Waterways project will need water to be released from upstream dams to maintain a certain water depth in the navigable channel in the summer months. Second is the River Linking Plan, based on the rationale that there is excess water in the Gangetic system. The plan envisages transferring Ganga system water during the summer months to the southern Peninsular rivers. And third, the Uttarakhand dam building companies will try to keep as much water locked up behind dams for power generation in the summers.
Over and above the water requirements of these projects, environmental regulations will require a certain amount of water flow to be maintained throughout the year in the river. This will be detrimental to the river linking and power generation projects.
Each of these massive waterworks will be competing for a limited amount of Ganga water during the same time of the year. This allocation problem will lead to water disputes, both, among the managers of these projects, and across different States. As a result, these projects are unlikely to operate optimally.
I haven't come across an official water budget analysis projected 100 years into the future, that takes into account water availability and the impact that these three projects will have on each other.
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