Highlights

India is blessed with perennial rivers – yet suffers from regular droughts and floods and lack of water for agriculture beyond the short monsoon seasons. River linking, flood control and proper irrigation systems must be developed. Water transport and development of the underdeveloped regions should also, be incorporated into such Projects.

Background

Grand River linking projects were first envisaged by the visionary British engineer Sir Arthur Cotton, over 160 years ago. A passionate votary of both irrigation and water ways he was responsible for harnessing the waters of the Godavari River and converting that region of Andhra into the country’s rice bowl. “What is wanted”, he said,” is the connection of the various irrigations, so as to complete steam boat communication from Ludhiana, by the Sutlej, Jumna (Yamuna), Sone, Ganges, Mahanaudi (Mahanadi), Godavari, Kistna (Krishna) boat canals, and one from Nellore through the Carnatic to Pononay, so as to bring produce to a point opposite to Aden at almost nominal cost. That’s the grand object.”

Almost a century later Capt. Dastur suggested the ‘Garland Canal’ scheme linking the Himalayan waters to the Peninsular ones. This was further developed and proposed as the Grand Irrigation and Power Systems-GIPS by Col. P.L.N Choudary, AVSM, another visionary and outstanding engineer with vast experience of executing many works especially in the Himalayas and the awardee of India’s first Service Medal (later converted to an AVSM) for saving the BHAKRA DAM in 1959 (Operation Madhuri).

The River-Linking Schemes

Over the years many schemes have been suggested for ameliorating the problem of severe drought and damaging floods that extensively affect our Country each year. Quite a few schemes have been put forth for this purpose over the years.

Some of the smaller amelioratory schemes have even been taken up despite the protests of well-meaning but short-sighted, so-called environmentalists and social activists, and have over the years proven their worth. However, the major schemes which are aimed at eliminating the problems have received some consideration but have not been taken up for implementation.

Of such schemes two are of National scope and deserve much greater consideration.

First – The National Water Grid – (Ganga to Cauvery link) as proposed by Dr. KL. RAO

This scheme has the drawback of requiring considerable power to lift water from the Gangetic plains upto the Deccan Plateau. Also, though it has the advantage of using existing water ways as far as possible and thus be less costly, it does not have the all-encompassing scope and comprehensive effect of another brilliant suggestion on the development and utilization of India’s water resources.

Second – The Garland Canal scheme as proposed by Capt. Dinshaw F. Dastur and further developed and recommended by Col. P. L. N Choudary, AVSM.

The Garland Canal Scheme envisages a Trans Himalayan Canal extending into an Eastern Himalayan Canal at a height of say 1000m above sea level and another Deccan Garland Canal consisting of a Central Plateau Garland Canal and the Southern Plateau Garland Canal at a height of say 500m above sea level. The exact alignment should be arrived at after proper evaluation of all parameters both economic and geographic.

These two Canals would be connected via suitably sized closed aqueducts, at their closest point, to allow transfer of water from the higher canal to the lower, even if the intervening levels are lower, operating on the siphon principle and thus instead of needing power it would allow power generation. World Bank studies had proved the concept of a water flow within canals even with zero gradients.

In Oct 1977 in the article published by the Economic Times (See – Annexure below), Col. P.L.N Choudary, AVSM drew on his considerable experience of building roads in the Himalayas under the Directorate General of Border Roads and in setting up and organizing camps for the NCC and ACC Cadets who undertook road construction works in Andhra Pradesh as social work, and took up successfully the task of saving the BHAKRA DAM in 1959 for which he was awarded the AVSM, and discussed the feasibility of the Garland Canal Scheme as suggested by Capt. Dastur, and indicated how it could be made more comprehensive and recommended the lines on which it could be executed. This more comprehensive scheme he called the ‘GRAND IRRIGATION AND POWER SYSTEM – GIPS’. (See Annexure)

The GIPS scheme envisaged not only the development of the Canal System for flood control irrigation, water transport and Power generation but also, the social and economic benefits that would accrue from this to the disadvantaged areas and to the people of the Country.

Col. Choudary suggested that each State through which the proposed canal alignment runs should select a suitable portion to execute immediately to prove the concept of inter basin transfer of water and also, be able to better work out the time frame and costs involved and to also, enthuse the Public in the scheme.

“The task is phenomenal and would do more for this Country than even the 3 – Gorges Project is doing for CHINA. Also, note the China is going ahead with many greater geography modifying projects than even the ‘3 – Gorges’ Project. Why should we also, not think BIG?” – Col. Choudary

To those who are defeatist in attitude and whose thinking is small in scope: to all those who see only the difficulties and quail before them saying that we cannot do this —- it is impossible and so on; Col. Choudary had this to say to them –

“… be Positive, thing BIG, we can do more than you suppose we can and remember that there were times when to travel foster than 60 mph was thought impossible, when the very idea of flying was ridiculed, let alone getting a man on to the moon. So even though this job looks very difficult, it can be done, and any delay on our part now would only make our descendants wonder at our inability to grasp the magnificent opportunity offered by this Project to tackle many of our major National ills at one go’:

The importance of such River linking and related projects was immediately recognized and a lot of work was undertaken to identify the various projects under this scheme and study the feasibility of each. In the 1980’s the Ministry of Irrigation finalized a National Perspective Plan, incorporating much of the above prospects and identified 30 river links – 14 Himalayan components and the rest peninsular ones to transfer water from water surplus basins to water deficient basins. This addresses the problems of floods and drought, irrigation and power production, apart from the acute domestic and drinking water shortage across the country.

As the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure has determined, water transport is an economic and convenient way to move goods, especially large quantities of grains, coal and ore and should be provided for wherever possible.

Clearly all this is a grand and gigantic scheme that has since been found feasible and must therefore be taken up and completed at the earliest. There are presently some rivers linking projects being undertaken. Hopefully the results will be apparent soon.

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