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The Indian Rivers Inter-link is a proposed large-scale civil engineering project that aims to link Indian rivers by a network of reservoirs and canals and so reduce persistent floods in some parts and water shortages in other parts of India.〔〔Jayanta Bandyopadhyay and Shama Perveen (2003), (The Interlinking of Indian Rivers: Some Questions on the Scientific, Economic and Environmental Dimensions of the Proposal ) IIM Calcutta, IISWBM, Kolkata〕 The Inter-link project has been split into three parts: a northern Himalayan rivers inter-link component, a southern Peninsular component and starting 2005, an intrastate rivers linking component.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=National water Development Agency (NWDA) Studies )〕 The project is being managed by India's National Water Development Agency (NWDA), under its Ministry of Water Resources. NWDA has studied and prepared reports on 14 inter-link projects for Himalayan component, 16 inter-link projects for Peninsular component and 37 intrastate river linking projects.〔 The average rainfall in India is about 4,000 billion cubic meters, but most of India's rainfall comes over a 4-month period – June through September. Furthermore the rain across the nation is not uniform, the east and north gets most of the rain, while the west and south get less.〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Spatial variation in water supply and demand across river basins of India )〕 India also sees years of excess monsoons and floods, followed by below average or late monsoons with droughts. This geographical and time variance in availability of natural water versus the year round demand for irrigation, drinking and industrial water creates a demand-supply gap, that has been worsening with India's rising population.〔 Proponents of the rivers inter-linking projects claim the answers to India's water problem is to conserve the abundant monsoon water bounty, store it in reservoirs, and deliver this water – using rivers inter-linking project – to areas and over times when water becomes scarce.〔 Beyond water security, the project is also seen to offer potential benefits to transport infrastructure through navigation, as well as to broadening income sources in rural areas through fish farming. Opponents are concerned about knowledge gap on environmental, ecological, social displacement impacts as well as unseen and unknown risks associated with tinkering with nature.〔 Others are concerned that some projects create international impact and the rights of nations such as Bangladesh must be respected and negotiated.〔 ==History== ;British colonial era The Inter-linking of Rivers in India proposal has a long history. During the British colonial rule, for example, the 19th century engineer Arthur Cotton proposed the plan to interlink major Indian rivers in order to hasten import and export of goods from its colony in South Asia, as well as to address water shortages and droughts in southeastern India, now Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.〔Elizabeth Hope and William Digby, 〕 ;Post independence In the 1970s, K.L. Rao,〔 a former irrigation minister proposed “National Water Grid”. He was concerned about the severe shortages of water in the South and repetitive flooding in the North every year. He suggested that the Brahmaputra and Ganga basins are water surplus areas, and central and south India as water deficit areas. He proposed that surplus water be diverted to areas of deficit. When Rao made the proposal, several inter-basin transfer projects had already been successfully implemented in India, and Rao suggested that the success be scaled up.〔A.K. Singh (2003), Interlinking of Rivers in India: A Preliminary Assessment, New Delhi〕 In 1980, India’s Ministry of Water Resources came out with a report entitled “National Perspectives for Water Resources Development”. This report split the water development project in two parts – the Himalayan and Peninsular components. Congress Party came to power and it abandoned the plan. In 1982, India financed and set up a committee of nominated experts, through National Water Development Agency (NWDA)〔 to complete detailed studies, surveys and investigations in respect of reservoirs, canals and all aspects of feasibility of inter-linking Peninsular rivers and related water resource management. NWDA has produced many reports over 30 years, from 1982 through 2013.〔(National Water Development Agency ) Ministry of Water Resources, Govt of India (2014)〕 However, the projects were not pursued. The river inter-linking idea was revived in 1999, after a new political alliance formed the central government, but this time with a major strategic shift. The proposal was modified to intra-basin development as opposed to inter-basin water transfer.〔Sharon Gourdji, Carrie Knowlton and Kobi Platt, (Indian Inter-linking of Rivers: A Preliminary Evaluation ) M.S. Thesis, University of Michigan (May 2005)〕 ;21st century By 2004, a different political alliance led by Congress Party was in power, and it resurrected its opposition to the project concept and plans. Social activists campaigned that the project may be disastrous in terms of cost, potential environmental and ecological damage, water table and unseen dangers inherent with tinkering with nature. The central government of India, from 2005 through 2013, instituted a number of committees, rejected a number of reports, and financed a series of feasibility and impact studies, each with changing environmental law and standards.〔〔Koshy & Kanekal, (SC revives NDA dream to interlink rivers ) LiveMint & The Wall Street Journal (Feb 28 2012)〕 In February 2012, while disposing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) lodged in the year 2002, Supreme Court (SC) refused to give any direction for implementation of Rivers Interlinking Project. SC stated that it involves policy decisions which are part of legislative competence of state and central governments. However, SC directed the Ministry of Water Resources to constitute an experts committee to pursue the matter with the governments as no party had pleaded against the implementation of Rivers Interlinking Project.〔(" Paras 62 to 64, WRIT PETITION (CIVIL) NO. 668 OF 2002 ), THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA, CIVIL ORIGINAL JURISDICTION, GOVT OF INDIA (2002)〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Indian Rivers Inter-link」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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