Bhopal (AsiaNews) – Protests against the Ken-Betwa river interconnection project in Madhya Pradesh continue, after police intervened last Sunday to clear the protesters’ permanent encampment, thereby bringing to an end a protest that had been ongoing since 3 July against the Ken-Betwa project and other infrastructure works in Chhatarpur district. On the same day, the protest leader, Amit Bhatnagar, who had been on hunger strike for eleven days, was taken to hospital after his health deteriorated.
The mobilisation had also become known as the ‘Chita Andolan’ (‘funeral pyre protest’), as many protesters had symbolically staged their own funerals to denounce the loss of their land and livelihoods. Following the clearance, residents announced a new phase of the protest, the so-called “Chulhabandi Andolan” (“protest of the unlit kitchens”), symbolically refusing to cook until the government responds to their demands.
The project has met with opposition from tribal communities and environmental groups, who are concerned about the displacement of local people and the project’s impact on forests and wildlife, particularly the Panna Tiger Reserve.
The protesters, predominantly women, have demanded clarification regarding alleged irregularities in land acquisition, environmental safeguards and the overall implementation of the project.
According to the protesters, the project has already led to the displacement of numerous tribal families, many of whom claim they have not yet received adequate compensation or sufficient support packages. Residents are not only protesting the loss of agricultural land and livelihoods, but also the loss of their cultural identity, which is deeply rooted in the local area and the course of the River Ken.
The Ken-Betwa Inter-Basin Transfer Scheme is the first inter-basin water transfer initiative envisaged under India’s National Perspective Plan and aims to transfer surplus water from the Ken River to the Betwa River to ensure irrigation and drinking water supplies in the arid Bundelkhand region, which straddles Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
With an estimated investment of around 5 billion dollars, the project is expected to provide drinking water to nearly 6.2 million people and generate 130 MW of hydroelectric power, according to the government.
The project has a long history: conceived in the late 1980s, it was approved in 2005 by the state governments of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. In 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi authorised its funding, and in 2024, construction began; the project is due to be completed in 2033.
The River Ken rises in the Kaimur Hills in Madhya Pradesh and flows into the Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh, as the river’s last major tributary before it joins the Ganges.
Whilst most of the region’s watercourses have been regulated by dams and weirs, the Ken has so far retained its natural course. The river flows through the Panna Tiger Reserve, which forms part of the UNESCO-recognised Panna Biosphere Reserve, known for its tiger reintroduction programme launched in 2009.
The reserve’s ecosystem is heavily dependent on its waters. According to several researchers, altering the river’s natural flow could disrupt aquatic habitats and jeopardise the area’s biodiversity. The Ken is also home to two endangered species: the gharial, one of the world’s rarest crocodilians, and the marsh crocodile.
In Madhya Pradesh, the districts of Chhatarpur and Panna are affected by numerous infrastructure and irrigation projects that began in 2022. In addition to the Ken-Betwa project, protesters have also voiced their opposition to the Majhgaon and Runjh irrigation projects – initiatives that have already led to land expropriations, displacements and delays in compensation and rehabilitation programmes.
The local administration has rejected the allegations, arguing that the Ken-Betwa project is fully compliant with the law and will, on the whole, help to improve irrigation, drinking water supply and overall development in the Bundelkhand region.
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