Context:

• At the Southern Zonal Council meeting, held recently in Mamallapuram, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stressed the need for early resolution of water disputes in the southern region.
• He also spoke of linking major rivers from the Brahmaputra to the Godavari and the Cauvery, claiming this could ensure India faces no water shortage for 100 years.
• In this context, this article argues that while the intent appears well-meaning, resolving water issues is far harder than it sounds, and river-linking is not the solution.

The Pennaiyar Dispute: A Case of Delay

• The Centre's handling of Tamil Nadu's demand for a tribunal on the Pennaiyar river dispute shows how slow the process can be:
  • Tamil Nadu alleged that Karnataka violated the 1892 inter-State agreement.
  • In November 2019, it requested the Centre to constitute a tribunal and also moved the Supreme Court.
  • Since then, two negotiation committees have been formed and 11 meetings held, without result.
  • In February this year, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to form the tribunal within a month. The deadline was later extended by six months.
  • The tribunal is still not in place.
• Instead of constituting a new tribunal, the Centre asked the court whether the Pennaiyar dispute could be referred to the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal.
• Critics call this illogical, as the two disputes have nothing in common. The Interstate River Water Disputes Act, 1956 also does not permit such a transfer.
• Similarly, the Centre has not yet replied to Tamil Nadu's March 2026 demand for a tribunal on the Mekedatu dam project proposed by Karnataka.

Why River-Linking Is Problematic?

• If routine disputes take years to resolve, the complications of inter-linking rivers would be far greater.
• Proponents, including Tamil Nadu, argue that river-linking would not disturb natural flows but only divert surplus water. Many experts are not convinced, for several reasons:
  • Once linking is allowed, beneficiary regions may demand water even during distress periods, eventually depriving original beneficiaries of their share.
  • There are serious concerns about adverse ecological consequences.
  • Kerala has strongly opposed the Pamba-Achankovil-Vaippar link, warning that it would harm the Vembanad wetland system, into which the Pamba and Achankovil rivers drain.
• The National Water Development Agency counters that it has accounted for improving river flows during lean periods.

India's Limited Experience with Inter-Basin Transfers

• In the last 130-odd years, India has seen only a handful of inter-basin transfer projects, mostly in south India.
• The successful examples include:
  • Mullaperiyar dam
  • Parambikulam-Aliyar project
  • Krishna Water Supply Project
  • Indira Gandhi Canal Project
• After 2014, the Union government formed a Special Committee for Interlinking of Rivers, which has held over two dozen meetings. Yet there has been little progress.
• In 2024, PM Modi laid the foundation stone for the Rs 44,000 crore Ken-Betwa Link Project. This has already led to agitations by tribal populations in Chhatarpur.

The Case for Demand-Side Management

• Many experts argue that governments at the Centre and in the States, along with civil society, should shift focus from supply-side interventions to demand-side management.
• The reasons are practical:
  • Land is increasingly scarce.
  • Public resistance to land acquisition is growing.
  • The era of mega irrigation projects is almost over.
• The priority must be conserving available water and using it judiciously. Specific measures suggested include:
  • A massive programme to sensitise and incentivise farmers on optimal water use.
  • Immediate curbs on indiscriminate groundwater extraction, which is encouraged by free electricity schemes for agriculture in many States and is leading to ecological disaster.
• Unless water conservation becomes a shared commitment of all stakeholders, disputes will remain the norm.

Conclusion

• River-linking promises a supply-side fix but ignores ecological risks, federal tensions and the Centre's own poor record in resolving existing disputes.
• With land scarce and mega projects facing resistance, India must prioritise conservation, efficient irrigation and groundwater regulation.
• Demand-side management, not grand engineering, offers the sustainable path to water security.