Bhopal, Dec 25: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the Ken-Betwa river link project on December 25, marking the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The event will take place in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, with significant implications for irrigation and water supply in the region.
The project, touted as India’s largest irrigation initiative, will connect the Ken and Betwa rivers through a series of dams, tunnels, and canals. As part of the inauguration, the Daudhan Dam, located on the border of Chhatarpur and Panna districts, may be renamed to “Atal Sagar Dam” in honor of Vajpayee’s contributions to national development.
The Ken-Betwa Link National Project is set to store a vast 2,853 million cubic meters of water through the construction of the 77-meter-high, 2.13-kilometer-long Daudhan Dam, which will be complemented by two tunnels—one 1.9 kilometers long at the upper level and another 1.1 kilometers at the lower level—on the Ken River in the Panna Tiger Reserve.
The project aims to transfer surplus water from the Ken River to the Betwa River via a 221-kilometer-long link canal. This water transfer will provide much-needed irrigation and drinking water to both Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
The irrigation benefits are far-reaching. The project will cover 8.11 lakh hectares of land across 2,000 villages in 10 districts of Madhya Pradesh, including Panna, Damoh, Chhatarpur, Tikamgarh, Niwari, Sagar, Raisen, Vidisha, Shivpuri, and Datia. An estimated 7 lakh farmer families will benefit from the pressurized micro-irrigation system, aimed at improving agricultural productivity and supporting water-scarce regions.
This ambitious project is expected to significantly improve water availability, reduce dependency on monsoon rains, and provide vital infrastructure to boost agricultural productivity in some of India’s most arid regions.
