El Betwa ( hindi : बेतवा, sánscrito : वेत्रावती) es un río del centro y norte de la India , y afluente del Yamuna . Nace en la Cordillera Vindhya (Raisen), justo al norte de Hoshangabad (Narmadapuram) en Madhya Pradesh y fluye hacia el noreste a través de Madhya Pradesh y Orchha hasta Uttar Pradesh . [1] Casi la mitad de su curso, que no es navegable, discurre por la meseta de Malwa . La confluencia de los ríos Betwa y Yamuna se encuentra en el distrito de Hamirpur en Uttar Pradesh. [1]
La armada india nombró a una de sus fragatas INS Betwa en honor al río. [2]
In Sanskrit "Betwa" is Vetravati. This river is mentioned in the epic Mahabharata along with the Charmanwati river[citation needed]. Both are tributaries of Yamuna. Vetravati was also known as Shuktimati. The capital of Chedi Kingdom was on the banks of this river. The length of the river from its origin to its confluence with Yamuna is 590 kilometres (370 mi), out of which 232 kilometres (144 mi) lies in Madhya Pradesh and the balance of 358 kilometres (222 mi) in Uttar Pradesh. In accordance with an inter-state agreement between the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in 1973, Betwa River Board (BRB) was constituted under the Betwa River Board Act, 1976. The Union Minister of Ministry of Water Resources, the Chairman of the Board, the Union Minister of Power, Union Minister of State for Water Resources, and Chief Ministers and Ministers in-charge of Finance, Irrigation and Power of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are its members.[3]
The Betwa River is being linked with the Ken River as a part of the river linking project in Madhya Pradesh. Latterly the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has given its clearance for the Ken-Betwa inter-linking of rivers (ILR) project. Another noteworthy project on the Betwa River is the construction of the Matatila Dam, an undertaking between the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The region is important for migratory waterbirds.[4] An ambitious project to link Ken and Betwa rivers has become a stage for a unique man-animal conflict. Proponents of the project, led by the Union Water Ministry, say that the proposed Daudhan dam and the 230 km (140 mi) canal—the key structures of the project—that will transfer surplus water from the Uttar Pradesh section of the Ken to the Betwa in Madhya Pradesh are critical to irrigate nearly 700,000 ha (1,700,000 acres) in drought-ravaged Bundelkhand.
