DHAKA: India is placed to divert water from its rivers to deal with a severe drought.

Water resources minister Uma Bharati said transferring water, including from major rivers like the Brahmaputra and the Ganges, to drought-prone areas is now her government's top priority, BBC reports on Monday (May 16).

At least 330 million people are affected by drought in India, which is taking place as a heat wave extends across much of India, with temperatures in excess of 40C.

The Inter Linking of Rivers (ILR) has 30 links planned for water-transfer, 14 of them fed by Himalayan glaciers in the north of the country and 16 in peninsular India.

Environmentalists have opposed the project, arguing it will invite ecological disaster but the Supreme Court has ordered its implementation.

‘Interlinking of rivers is our prime agenda and we have got the people's support and I am determined to do it on the fast track,’ Bharati said.

‘And then we will have the Damnaganga-Pinjal interlink which will sort out the Mumbai drinking water facility.’

BDST: 1605 HRS, May 16, 2016
SAS/RR