More than a century ago, planners fantasized about diverting India’s eastern floodwaters into southern and western river basins, but the idea was dismissed as far-fetched. “Gigantism always casts an irresistible spell on our bureaucracy,” says an ardent critic of the plan, Ramaswamy R. Iyer, a former secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources who’s now with the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi. But India has proved adept at smaller-scale transfers. In the late 19th century, the Periyar River in southern India was dammed and a 1740-meter-long tunnel excavated to carry water eastward to the neighboring Vaigai Basin. The waterworks still functions, irrigating 81,000 hectares and driving a 140-megawatt power station. And in the north, the Rajasthan Canal uses a barrage and canals to divert Himalayan glacial runoff to Rajasthan’s deserts. “These projects have been highly beneficial and have not caused any noticeable environmental damage,” says Suresh Prabhu, former Interlinking task force chair.