National River Linking Project
The National River Linking Project (NRLP) is designed to ease water shortages in western and southern India while mitigating the impacts of recurrent floods in the eastern parts of the Ganga basin. The NRLP, if and when implemented, will be one of the biggest interbasin water transfer projects in the world.

IWMI-CP Analyses
While, to some, the (NRLP) is the only option for meeting India?s future water needs, to others it is not, because they, including influential national and international academia and civil society, view that an inadequate analysis of India?s water futures was the basis for NRLP and the economic, social and environmental costs outweigh the project benefits. For some others, there are less-costly alternative water management options.

Critiques
While there are many critiques, for and against NRLP, much of the dialogue however seems to lack a sound informational base and is based on assertions or opinions. The IWMI-CP project is designed to change this situation. It aims to promote a balanced, analytical, national discourse on India?s Water Futures, and approaches to shaping it, including through the proposed NRLP.

What Will the IWMI-CP Project Do ?

The project, conducted in three phases, critically analyzes:

• Phase I, the recent changes of key drivers of water supply and demand, and the most likely magnitude of India?s Water Futures to 2025/2050.

• Phase II, how adequate and cost-effective the NRLP is in meeting the above water futures, and if the Government of India decides to implement the project in part or fully, what needs to be done to maximize the social benefits?

• Phase III, if, for whatever reason, the NRLP fails to take off, what can be India?s fallback strategy to meet water futures?