‘Ken-Betwa project serious threat’: Jairam Ramesh says 10% of Panna Tiger Reserve’s core area will be submerged

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh has said that the Ken-Betwa river linking project that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for on December 25, is a serious threat to the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. He said that the project will submerge 10 per cent of the core area of the tiger reserve. He called the project unfortunate and said there must be some less devastating alternative. 

Under the Ken-Betwa river linking project, a 77-metre high and 2.13 km long Daudhan dam and two tunnels (upper level 1.9 km and lower level 1.1 km) will be constructed on the Ken river in the Panna Tiger Reserve. 

“Today the PM is giving one more evidence of the difference between his 'talk' and 'walk' on environment and forest matters. The Ken-Betwa river linking project for which he is laying the foundation stone today poses a serious threat to the biodiversity-rich Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh,” said Jairam Ramesh. 

The Congress MP called Panna the “most remarkable success story of revival”. Its tiger population had completely wiped out by early 2009 but now it has over 90 tigers, thanks to the tiger reintroduction programme launched 15 years ago, he said. 

“The project will submerge over 10% of the core area of the tiger reserve. Not only prime tiger habitats - but also those of other species like vultures - will be lost. The ecosystem will be bifurcated. More than 23 lakh trees are to be felled. Construction activities will be a severe disturbance. Three cement factories are  being planned, one already commissioned in the  vicinity of the park. And there are questions on the basic assumptions on surplus water itself,” he said, adding that there are alternatives for executing the project without causing such ecological damage. 

THE KEN-BETWA RIVER LINKING PROJECT

The foundation stone of the project will be laid today by PM Modi. Nearly 44 lakh people in Madhya Pradesh and 21 lakh people in Uttar Pradesh are expected to get drinking water under the project. Nearly 7.18 lakh farmer families would also benefit from the project, said MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. 

The CM said that tourism will also be promoted and new employment opportunities would be created. The surplus Ken water will be transferred to the Betwa river through the 221-km link canal. 

The chief minister said that 8.11 lakh hectare area can be irrigated in 2,000 villages of 10 districts of Panna, Damoh, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, Niwari, Sagar, Raisen, Vidisha, Shivpuri and Datia.