Halt the Ken – Betwa River Linking Project

Mohammad Shafi

National Vice President

Ken – Betwa River Linking Project being inaugurated by the Prime Minister on 25th December, Today despite the projected benefits of aiding the water-stressed Bundelkhand region, as well as numerous other districts in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, is harmful to the environment. According to the environmentalists, the project will influence biodiversity, disasters, and hydrology. A significant impact will be the removal of 23 lakh large trees for the Ken-Betwa interlinking.

Besides, the project will be extremely detrimental to the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. It would result in the submergence of 6,017 hectares of forest area beneath the KBLP’s Daudhan dam.

As the damage predicted to be done by the project is more than the expected benefit, the government should halt the project and find an eco-friendly alternative in the larger interest of the country and its environment.