River interlinking alters land-atmosphere feedback and changes the Indian summer monsoon

Tejasvi Chauhan, Anjana Devanand, Mathew Koll Roxy, Karumuri Ashok and Subimal Ghosh ()
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Tejasvi Chauhan: Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Anjana Devanand: Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Mathew Koll Roxy: Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Ministry of Earth Sciences
Karumuri Ashok: University of Hyderabad
Subimal Ghosh: Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Massive river interlinking projects are proposed to offset observed increasing droughts and floods in India, the most populated country in the world. These projects involve water transfer from surplus to deficit river basins through reservoirs and canals without an in-depth understanding of the hydro-meteorological consequences. Here, we use causal delineation techniques, a coupled regional climate model, and multiple reanalysis datasets, and show that land-atmosphere feedbacks generate causal pathways between river basins in India. We further find that increased irrigation from the transferred water reduces mean rainfall in September by up to 12% in already water-stressed regions of India. We observe more drying in La Niña years compared to El Niño years. Reduced September precipitation can dry rivers post-monsoon, augmenting water stress across the country and rendering interlinking dysfunctional. Our findings highlight the need for model-guided impact assessment studies of large-scale hydrological projects across the globe.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41668-x

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