A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Modified Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal-ERCP (PKC-ERCP) Link Project amongst States of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and the Government of India.
About Modified PKC-ERCP”
- The "Modified PKC-ERCP" is the second project under India's Interlinking of Rivers program, integrating the original PKC with the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project.
Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) is the first link project under the Interlinking of Rivers program
- This project aims to provide drinking and industrial water to 13 districts in eastern Rajasthan and the Malwa and Chambal regions of Madhya Pradesh.
- Additionally, it will provide irrigation to an area of at least 2.8 lakh ha in both states, totaling 5.6 lakh ha or more, and supplement enroute tanks in the states.
- The Modified PKC link project is intended to optimize and economically utilize the available water resources in the Chambal basin.
About the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project:
- The aim of the project is to collect excess water from the rivers in Southern Rajasthan, such as Chambal and its tributaries, including Kunnu, Parvati, and Kalisindh during the rainy season.
- The surplus water will be used to address the water shortage problem in the southeastern districts of the state, for both drinking and irrigation purposes.
- The ERCP project has been designed to cater to the drinking and industrial water requirements of the southern and southeastern regions of Rajasthan until 2051.
- The project plans to provide drinking water to 13 districts of Rajasthan and irrigation water for 2.8 lakh hectares of land through 26 large and medium-scale projects.
- 13 districts: Jhalawar, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Baran, Tonk, Jaipur, Karauli, Kota, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa and Dholpur.
About River Chambal
- The Chambal River, formerly known as Charmanvati, is the largest river that flows through the state of Rajasthan.
- It is a significant part of the Greater Gangetic Drainage System and a major tributary of the 960 km long Yamuna River.
- The river flows in a north to northeastern direction through Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. It creates a boundary between the two states.
- It then runs southeast and meets the Yamuna in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh.
Origin: The Chambal River enters Rajasthan from Chaurasigarh, Chittorgarh and originates at Janapav, south of Mhow town, near Manpur, Indore, on the south slope of the Vindhya Range in Madhya Pradesh.
Dams: There are four dams on the Chambal River- the Gandhi Sagar Dam (Madhya Pradesh), Jawahar Sagar Dam, Rana Pratap Sagar Dam and Kota Barrage (Rajasthan).
Water fall: The river also boasts the Chulia waterfall in the Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan.
Tributaries: The Banas, Kali Sindh, Sipra and Parbati are the river's chief tributaries