Article:
The Chief Minister of Rajasthan has recently called for the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) to be escalated to national project status. This significant move comes with a plethora of benefits, primarily that 90% of the project’s funding would be shouldered by the central government. The ERCP carries an estimated cost of around Rs. 40,000 crore.
Understanding the Background
According to Rajasthan’s Water Resources Department, the state, the largest in India with a geographical area of 342.52 lakh hectares, represents 10.4% of the country but merely holds 1.16% of India’s surface water and 1.72% of groundwater. Chambal river basin is the only surplus water body in the state. However, extracting this water directly is not possible as the area around the Kota barrage is established as a crocodile sanctuary. The ERCP proposes using diversion structures, interbasin water transfers, linking channels, and building pumping main feeder channels to develop a comprehensive network of water channels covering 23.67 % of Rajasthan and serving 41.13 % of its population.
About the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project
The ERCP is designed to harvest surplus water during the rainy season from Southern Rajasthan rivers, including the Chambal and its tributaries, Kunnu, Parvati, Kalisindh, and use it in the south-eastern districts where water scarcity is prevalent. The scheme is intended to meet the drinking and industrial water requirements of both humans and livestock in southern and south-eastern Rajasthan until 2051. It plans to supply drinking water to 13 districts of Rajasthan and provide irrigation water for 2.8 lakh hectares of land through 26 different large and medium projects.
Expected Benefits of ERCP
ERCP will enable a significant part of the land with irrigation facilities. It also aspires to boost the ground water table in Rajasthan’s rural regions, positively impacting the socio-economic conditions of the residents. The project will contribute to the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), providing sustainable water sources that will expedite the growth of industries within these sectors, triggering an influx of investment and revenue.
The Chambal River: A Resource
The Chambal River, one of India’s most unpolluted rivers, originates from the Singar Chouri peak in the northern slopes of the Vindhya mountains in Madhya Pradesh. It flows northward through Madhya Pradesh for about 346 km, then follows a northeastern course for around 225 km through Rajasthan before entering U.P. and flowing for approximately 32 km to merge with the Yamuna River in Etawah District. The Chambal River and its tributaries mainly drain the Malwa region of northwestern Madhya Pradesh and the Hadauti plateau in Rajasthan, located in the upper catchment of the river southeast of the Mewar Plains.
The river is home to several critically endangered species like the gharial, red-crowned roof turtle, and the endangered Ganges river dolphin, which reside in the National Chambal Sanctuary, situated on the tri-junction of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.
The demands for the national project status for ERCP is fueled by the potential benefits it brings, not only to Rajasthan but to the rest of the country in terms of economic advancement, ecological balance, and water resource management.
