NATIONAL WATER GRID—ITS OBJECTIVE AND CHALLENGE

Abstract

ABSTRACT In countries like India, having a large variation of water resources with space and time, inter-basin water transfer projects seem to be the ultimate solution to ease the water crisis and achieve a stable economic growth of the nation. But the projects of such huge magnitudes are always prone to large controversies, due to their numerous advantages and disadvantages. The water crisis in India may be stated as due to its vast expanse, huge population and a large variation of annual precipitation, both spatially and temporally. The substitute to the interlinking of rivers can be considered as adopting some techniques like extensive water harvesting, massive dredging operations to improve upon the water carrying capacity of the river systems, extensive soil conservation, tank rehabilitation schemes in the south and linking up all the existing coastal navigational canals for economical transport. This paper presents the scenario of inter-basin water transfers in India, its objectives, scope and the challenges to be met in the investigation, planning, design, execution and maintenance of the project.