Consider the following statements regarding the Ken-Betwa Project: 1. It is the second major river inter-linking project after the Kosi-Mechi Project. 2. It may have an adverse impact on the Ken Ghariyal Sanctuary. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Conceived as a two-part project, the Ken-Betwa Project is the country’s first river inter-linking project. It is perceived as a model plan for similar inter-state river transfer missions.

The Centre has recently approved the Kosi - Mechi River Inter-linking Project, which is the country’s second major river inter-linking project after Ken-Betwa of Madhya Pradesh.

Mechi is an important tributary of the Mahananda River.

In its report, the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) (constituted by the Supreme Court) noted that during the monsoon, the flow of water with silt is essential for the survival of the (Ken) Ghariyal Sanctuary, located downstream of the proposed Daudhan Dam (Madhya Pradesh)

“The massive engineering structure of the dam is bound to isolate the upstream aquatic fauna of the Panna National Park and this may have a direct impact on the breeding habits of aquatic life forms, both upstream and downstream of the dam. The construction of the dam will result in substratum and which, in turn, will result in the drastic conversion of aquatic habitat, thereby changing the whole eco-system within the Panna National Park, as well as downstream of the dam,” said CEC, while warning that this situation may lead to “extinction of many aquatic forms of life.”