India’s Grand 'River Linkage' Project: Agricultural Salvation or Folly?
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As India’s population grows—and its people become more prosperous—so too does its demand for food expand. In meet rising food needs, the Indian government wants to increase the amount of arable land by expanding irrigation and controlling flood damage during the annual monsoon season.
One ambitious—or possibly reckless—plan has been on the drawing board for years: the National River Linking Project (NRLP). As envisioned by India’s National Water Development Agency, the massive engineering project would consist of a network of 15,000 kilometers of canals and tunnels to transport water from bountiful rivers to parched regions of India, transferring up to 174 billion cubic meters of water annually.