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Villagers Protest India's River-Linking Project Amid Flooding
M
Moneycontrol•12-10-2026, 08:31
Villagers Protest India's River-Linking Project Amid Flooding
- •Tribal residents in Madhya Pradesh are protesting India's massive $87 billion river-linking project as rising waters flood their ancestral homes and temples.
- •Protesters like Bitti Bai Kondar argue that government compensation is insufficient to rebuild their lives and want better relocation terms before leaving.
- •Phase one connects the Ken River in Madhya Pradesh to the Betwa River in Uttar Pradesh at a cost of about $4.6 billion.
- •Environmentalists and experts criticize the initiative, warning that the Daudhan Dam will inundate the Panna Tiger Reserve and questioning the project's hydrological feasibility.
Key Questions Answered
India's ambitious $87 billion river-linking project aims to redistribute water from water-surplus regions to drought-prone areas like Bundelkhand to boost food security, provide irrigation, drinking water, and hydropower for millions of farmers.
Villagers in Madhya Pradesh's Panna district are protesting because rising waters from the project have flooded their homes and temples, while they face displacement without adequate compensation, land, or proper rehabilitation.
Environmentalists oppose the construction of the Daudhan Dam because it will submerge about 9,000 hectares of land, including a significant portion of the Panna Tiger Reserve, and critics also question the scientific basis of the basin's water surplus.
