| Betwa River | |
| Name Other: | Vetravatī |
| Map: | India rivers and lakes map.svg |
| Pushpin Map: | India |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the mouth in India |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | India |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh |
| Subdivision Type5: | Cities |
| Subdivision Name5: | Vidisha, Sanchi, Ganj Basoda, Kurwai, Orchha, Hamirpur |
| Discharge1 Location: | Rajghat Dam |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 658m3/s |
| Discharge1 Max: | 3178m3/s |
| Source1: | Vindhya Range |
| Source1 Location: | Vindhya Range north of Hoshangabad |
| Mouth: | Yamuna |
| Mouth Location: | Hamirpur, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 25.9175°N 80.2125°W |
| Tributaries Left: | Halali, Kaliyasoth, Urwashi |
| Tributaries Right: | Bina, Dhasaan, Jamni |
The Betwa (Sanskrit: वेत्रावती) 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 and enters Uttar Pradesh after flowing through Orchha. Nearly half of its course, which is not navigable, runs over the Malwa Plateau. The confluence of the Betwa and the Yamuna rivers is in Hamirpur district in Uttar Pradesh where Yamuna flows north and Betwa flows just south of Hamirpur.[1]
The Indian navy named one of its frigates INS Betwa in honour of the river.[2]
In Sanskrit "Betwa" is Vetravati. This river is mentioned in the epic Mahabharata along with the Charmanwati river. 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 590km (370miles), out of which 232km (144miles) lies in Madhya Pradesh and the balance of 358km (222miles) 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 the chief ministers and ministers in charge of finance, irrigation and power in 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] The project to link Ken and Betwa rivers has raised environmental concerns: "Proponents of the project, led by the Union Water Ministry, say that the proposed Daudhan dam and the 2.5abbr=onNaNabbr=on 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 700000ha in drought-ravaged Bundelkhand. However, environmentalists say that such a dam will submerge at least 4,000 hectares of Madhya Pradesh's Panna tiger reserve, whose tigers were almost lost to poaching in 2009 and have only recently been partially replenished. They allege that most districts in Madhya Pradesh will not actually get the promised water. There are vultures in the region, whose nests will be threatened by the height of the dam."[5]