News Excerpt:

The states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti recently to implement the Modified Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal-ERCP (Modified PKC-ERCP) Link Project.

About the project:

• The project envisages integration of the long-pending PKC river link project with the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP), under the national perspective plan of interlinking of rivers (ILR) programme of the Government of India.
• The Feasibility Report (FR) of the Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal (PKC) link project was prepared and circulated to the concerned State Governments in 2004.
• This link project proposes to provide drinking and industrial water in 13 districts of eastern Rajasthan, Malwa and Chambal regions of Madhya Pradesh apart from providing irrigation in 2.8 lakh ha. area (or more) each in both the states (total of 5.6 lakh ha or more) including supplementation of en route tanks in the states. 
• The Modified PKC link project will help in utilising the available water resources of the Chambal basin optimally and economically. 

What is the Modified PKC-ERCP?

• It is an inter-state river linking project. 
• According to the ministry, preparations for a Detailed Project Report (DPR) on this are ongoing. 
• Based on the outcome of the DPR, a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) will be finalised among Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and the Centre, covering the sharing of water, exchange of water, sharing of costs and benefits, implementation mechanisms, arrangements for management and control of water in the Chambal basin, etc.

What is the PKC link project?

• The Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal (PKC) link project is one of the 30 links in the National Perspectives Plan formulated by the Ministry of Water Resources and the Central Water Commission in 1980.
• As per the National Water Development Agency (NWDA), the preliminary feasibility report of the Kalisindh-Chambal link canal project was prepared and circulated to the states concerned in 1991. 
• The report proposed water diversion from river Newaj (a tributary of Kalisindh) and Kalisindh to the river Chambal at either the Rana Pratap Sagar dam or the Gandhi Sagar dam.

What is the ERCP?

• The Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) is aimed at the intra-basin transfer of water within the Chambal basin by utilising surplus monsoon water available in Kalisindh, Parvati, Mej,, and Chakan subbasins and diverting it into water deficit sub-basins of Banas, Gambhiri, Banganga, and Parbati. 
• This will provide drinking and industrial water to 13 districts of eastern Rajasthan, namely Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Karauli, Sawai-Madhopur, Dausa, Jaipur, Ajmer, Tonk, Bundi, Kota, Baran, and Jhalawar.

Why was the MoU needed?

• According to the Union Jal Shakti Ministry, the Rajasthan government submitted the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the ERCP with an estimated cost of Rs 37,247.12 crore (at 2014 price level) in November 2017 for techno-economic appraisal.
• As per the prevailing norms, projects on inter-state rivers are required to be planned for 75% dependable yield (the dependable yield means maintainability of water supply from the source). 
• However, this project was planned on a 50% dependable yield. 
• Apart from being against prevailing norms, this was also unacceptable to Madhya Pradesh, which is a co-basin state. 
• According to the ministry, the Central Water Commission, in various meetings, requested Rajasthan to revise the project planning at 75% dependability.