{{Short description|River in northern India}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}} {{Use Indian English|date=June 2017}} {{Infobox river | name = Betwa River | native_name = | native_name_lang = | name_other = Vetravatī | name_etymology = <!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP --> | image = File:Beautiful sunset at the Royal Chhatris of Orchha.jpg | image_size = 250 px | image_caption = Betwa River near Orchha | map = {{maplink|frame=yes|frame-align= center|type=line|id=Q1334522|text=Interactive Map}} | map_size = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = | pushpin_map_size = | pushpin_map_caption = | subdivision_type1 = Country | subdivision_name1 = India | subdivision_type2 = State | subdivision_name2 = Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name3 = | subdivision_type4 = | subdivision_name4 = | subdivision_type5 = Cities | subdivision_name5 = Vidisha, Sanchi, Ganj Basoda, Kurwai, Orchha, Hamirpur <!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS -->| length = | width_min = | width_avg = | width_max = | depth_min = | depth_avg = | depth_max = | discharge1_location = Rajghat Dam{{https://iwai.nic.in/sites/default/files/NW-19%20Final%20FR%20BETWA.pdf}}<nowiki>|date=November 2019}}</nowiki> | discharge1_min = | discharge1_avg = {{convert|658|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}}{{https://iwai.nic.in/sites/default/files/NW-19%20Final%20FR%20BETWA.pdf}}<nowiki>|date=November 2019}}</nowiki> | discharge1_max = {{convert|3178|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}} <!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES -->| source1 = Vindhya Range | source1_location = Near Obedullaganj, Vindhya Range north of Hoshangabad<ref name="india9.com"/> | source1_coordinates = | source1_elevation = | mouth = Yamuna | mouth_location = Hamirpur, Uttar Pradesh, India | mouth_coordinates = {{coord|25|55|03|N|80|12|45|E|type:river_region:IN|display=inline,title}} | mouth_elevation = | progression = | river_system = | basin_size = | tributaries_left = Halali, Kaliyasoth, Urwashi | tributaries_right = Bina, Dhasaan, Jamni | custom_label = | custom_data = | extra = }}
The '''Betwa''' (Sanskrit: वेत्रवती) is a river in central and northern India, and a tributary of the Yamuna. It rises in the Vindhya Range (Raisen) just north of Hoshangabad (Narmadapuram) in Madhya Pradesh and flows northeast through Madhya Pradesh before entering Uttar Pradesh after flowing through Orchha.<ref name="india9.com"/> Nearly half of its course, which is not navigable, runs over the Malwa Plateau. The confluence of the Yamuna and the Betwa rivers is in Hamirpur district in Uttar Pradesh, where Yamuna flows northward and Betwa approaches from south of Hamirpur.<ref name="india9.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.india9.com/i9show/Betwa-River-26644.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160824162045/http://www.india9.com/i9show/Betwa-River-26644.htm|url-status=dead|title=Betwa River |date=7 June 2005 |archive-date=24 August 2016|website=www.india9.com}}</ref>
The Indian Navy named one of its frigates INS ''Betwa'' in honour of the river.<ref name="marex">{{cite news|title=Indian Navy Frigate Tips Over in Graving Dock|url=http://maritime-executive.com/article/indian-navy-frigate-tips-over-in-graving-dock|access-date=7 December 2016|publisher=The Maritime Executive|date=6 December 2016}}</ref>
== History == [[File:River Betwa.JPG|thumb|200px|left|River Betwa is close to the 11th-century ''Bhojeshwar Temple'' at Bhojpur, Madhya Pradesh.]] {{Stack|thumb|Chhatris on the bank of Betwa river}}
In Sanskrit, "Betwa" is ''Vetravati''. This river is mentioned in the epic Mahabharata along with the Charmanwati river.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wayback Machine |url=https://iwai.nic.in/sites/default/files/NW-19%20Final%20FR%20BETWA.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241006063738/http://iwai.nic.in/sites/default/files/NW-19%20Final%20FR%20BETWA.pdf |archive-date=6 October 2024 |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=iwai.nic.in |page=7 |url-status=live }}</ref> Both are tributaries of the Yamuna River. Vetravati was also known as Shuktimati. The capital of the Chedi Kingdom was on the banks of this river. The length of the river from its origin to its confluence with Yamuna is {{convert|590|km|mi}}, out of which {{Convert|232|km|mi}} lies in Madhya Pradesh and the balance of {{convert|358|km|mi}} in Uttar Pradesh. By an interstate agreement between the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in 1973, the Betwa River Board (BRB) was constituted under the Betwa River Board Act, 1976. The Union Minister of the Ministry of Water Resources, the Chairman of the Board, the Union Minister of Power, the Union Minister of State for Water Resources, and the chief ministers and ministers in charge of finance, irrigation, and power in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are its members.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aloney |first=Hitesh |title=Betwa River |url=https://upscwithnikhil.com/article/geography/betwa-river?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=upscwithnikhil.com |language=en}}</ref>{{AI-retrieved source|date=March 2026|checked=no}}
== Ken-Betwa project == The Ken-Betwa River Linking Project is a large-scale interlinking initiative aimed at transferring surplus water from the Ken River in Madhya Pradesh to the Betwa River in Uttar Pradesh. The project involves the construction of the Daudhan Dam, a 2.5 km canal, and other infrastructure. The government asserts that the project will help irrigate {{Convert|1,060,000|ha|acre|disp=sqbr}} in drought-stricken Bundelkhand, provide drinking water to 6.2 million people, and generate 130 MW of hydropower and solar energy once completed in 2030. The estimated cost of the project is ₹440 billion ($5.06 billion).<ref name = Koshy>{{cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Ken-Betwa-project-a-threat-to-wildlife/article14414566.ece |title=Ken-Betwa project, a threat to wildlife? Environmentalists say that such a dam will submerge at least 4,000 hectares of Madhya Pradesh's Panna tiger reserve |date=10 June 2016 |newspaper=the Hindu |first1=Jacob |last1=Koshy }}</ref><ref name = Tiwari>{{cite web |last=Tiwari |first=Vishnukant |date=24 February 2025 |title=Why a mega river-linking plan has sparked massive protests in India|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gwj2qy9pxo |website=BBC|access-date=24 February 2025}} </ref> ===Environmental Concerns===
The project has been the subject of environmental criticism, particularly regarding its impact on the Panna Tiger Reserve. Environmentalists warn that the project will submerge nearly 98 sq km of the 543 sq km sanctuary, threatening tiger conservation efforts that successfully reintroduced the species after local extinction in 2009.<ref name=Tiwari/> Concerns have also been raised about the impact on vultures, whose nesting sites may be disturbed by the dam’s construction.<ref name=Koshy/>
A 2019 expert panel appointed by the Supreme Court of India questioned the project’s economic feasibility and environmental impact, recommending alternative irrigation methods.<ref name=Tiwari/> A 2023 study suggested that river-linking projects could worsen water stress rather than alleviate it.<ref>{{cite web |last=Chauhan |first= Tejasvi|date=22 September 2023 |title=River interlinking alters land-atmosphere feedback and changes the Indian summer monsoon|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-41668-x |website= Nature Communications|access-date=24 February 2025}}</ref> Critics also argue that the government has based its water availability estimates on outdated 2003 data without independent verification.<ref name=Tiwari/>
Government officials defend the project, stating that it has received all necessary environmental clearances and that additional land has been allocated to offset the loss of tiger habitats.<ref name=Tiwari/>
===Displacement and Protests=== The project will submerge 10 villages and displace 11 more, affecting over 7,000 families, primarily from Gond and Kol indigenous communities. Residents have staged protests, fearing loss of homes and livelihoods. However, authorities claim that about 90% of affected residents have accepted compensation offers, and efforts are ongoing to identify alternative land for resettlement.<ref name=Tiwari/>
== Dams == * Rajghat Dam * Matatila Dam * Parichha Dam * Dhurwara Dam * Halali Dam * Sukma Dukma Dam
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Betwa River}} * [http://www.mapsofindia.com/orchha/betwa-river.html Betwa River] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090326082450/http://www.blonnet.com/2005/09/28/stories/2005092802190800.htm Ken-Betwa river link project to cost Rs 4,500 cr] , Business Line * {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Betwa|volume=3}} * {{citation |url=https://jalshakti-dowr.gov.in/betwa-river-board/ |title=Betwa River Board |work=Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation }}
{{Hydrography of Madhya Pradesh}} {{Hydrography of Uttar Pradesh}} {{Waters of South Asia}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Betwa River Category:Rivers in Buddhism Category:Rivers of Madhya Pradesh Category:Rivers of Uttar Pradesh Category:Tributaries of the Yamuna River