The Ken-Betwa link project envisages diversion of surplus waters of Ken basin to the water deficit Betwa basin, but in the process it hits Panna Tiger Reserve and almost 10 per cent of the 54,266 hectare of its area will get submerged.
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun has suggested that four wildlife sanctuaries – two each from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh – should be brought under the ambit of Panna Tiger Reserve, in lieu of the area that will be submerged by the Ken-Betwa river linking project, officials from water resources minisry said. The Ken-Betwa link project envisages diversion of surplus waters of Ken basin to the water deficit Betwa basin, but in the process it hits Panna Tiger Reserve and almost 10 per cent of the 54,266 hectare of its area will get submerged.
The project was born under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and the Narendra Modi government too, has pushed ahead with it expediously. WII has suggested that Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) and Rani Durgawati WLS in Madhya Pradesh, and Ranipur WLS and Mahavir Swami WLS in Uttar Pradesh can be brought under Panna Tiger Reseve, in the form of core areas, satellite cores and dispersal routes, water resources officials told dna.
The official added that Madhya Pradesh government is in agreement to bring the Nauradehi and Rani Durgawati WLS under Panna's ambit, but, the water ministry is still awaiting concurrence of the Uttar Pradesh government. WII's senior scientists could not be reached for a comment. The ambitious river link project is to get last stage environment, forest and wildlife clearances and is likely to face an uphill task in obtaining them given the vast area of Panna reserve that will be adversely affected. The water ministry would also have to take permissions from the Supreme Court to use core area of a tiger reserve.
The project's impact on Panna tiger reserve even prompted the ex-field director R.Sreenivasa Murthy to write to the state government against it and he was subsequently trasnferred. Murthy did not respond to calls. Environmentalists said that the project's impact on the tiger habitat, that had zero tigers left in 2009, will be irresversible. "While it is needed to consolidate tiger habitats around the Panna Tiger Reserve, no amount of ‘compensation’ can alleviate the damage of drowning Panna. Not only will the river linking submerge prime tiger habitat in Panna’s core, but will also impact the critically endangered, and endemic, gharial, and a lot of the other rare wildlife,” said Prerna Bindra, former member, standing committee, National Board for Wildlife.
Bindra added, “Besides the actual physical loss of habitat, there will be ancillary activities which will impact a far greater area. Ken is also one of the perennial rivers of MP, which will have its own ramifications.”
The Ken-Betwa project involves transferring 591 million cubic metres of surplus water in the Ken basin through a 231.45-km canal to the Betwa river. Land needed for acquisition is an estimated 6,000 hectares and the cost of resettlement Rs 333 crore. The project will also involve construction of a dam near Daudhan village in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh. This dam will aloow diversion of 1,074 million cubic meters of surplus water to Betwa river basin annually, providing irrigation for 6.36 hectares of land generation 60MW of energy, besides drinking water for villages and towns.
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