India turns to Nepal for Yamuna lifeline
NEW DELHI: India is seeking a lifeline for the parched Yamuna river — all the way from Nepal.
As part of its first trans-country river-linking project, the government is approaching Nepal to bring surplus water from the Sharda river, also known as the Mahakali, on the border with Nepal to the Yamuna near Delhi.
The project is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious plan of interlinking 31 rivers and divert surplus water to arid areas.
“The proposal has been cleared by a committee of secretaries and a request has been sent to the (ministry of external affairs) to initiate a dialogue with Nepal,” secretary of water resources UP Singh said.
The committee of secretaries, according to officials, met to discuss the terms of negotiations with Nepal on the 540MW Pancheshwar multipurpose hydroelectric project. The project, conceived in 1981, made progress under the Modi government when Nepal was ruled by the Nepali Congress. Concerns have surrounded the project under a Communist alliance that came to power in Kathmandu last month.
According to the officials cited above, while all the required clearances for the dam on the Indian side are in place, India is waiting for the newly-elected Nepalese government to settle down before bringing the proposal to the table again.
The proposed interlinking project is aimed at bringing surplus water from Sharda to Yamuna via Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. The project is designed to be a lifeline for the Yamuna to ensure uninterrupted flow in Delhi. It is likely to also benefit Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan.
The project was first discussed by Modi with then Nepalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala in August 2014. India discussed the Pancheshwar dam project with Nepal twice last year— in August and September— and will take it up soon with the new government.
In a question tabled in Parliament on March 15, the government said the proposed YamunaRajasthan link and the Rajasthan-Sabarmati link also depends on the Sharda -Yamuna link.
“The discussion in 2014 was preliminary. It will be difficult to comment till we know what the government of India is proposing,” said Rajan Bhattarai, a foreign policy aide to Nepal’s new PM Khadga Prasad Sharm Oli and a member of the India-Nepal eminent persons group. The National Water Development Authority has prepared a feasibility report on the Indian portion of the project.
A detailed project report will be finalised after negotiations with Nepal. Both the Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh governments have given their consent for the project.