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An interbasin transfer is a transfer of water from one river basin to another. The purpose of an interbasin transfer typically is to alleviate shortages in a deficit basin by transferring water from a surplus basin. Their importance is expected to increase due to population growth, increased water demand for irrigation, industry and municipal water supply, as well as because of increased hydrological variability caused by climate change. Interbasin transfers are often large and expensive, involving major infrastructure and the massive use of energy for pumping. They are also complicated in legal terms, since water rights are affected, especially if the basin of origin is a transboundary river. Finally, transfers often have significant negative environmental impacts on aquatic ecosystems.

In some cases the purpose of the transfer is not the alleviation of water scarcity. For example, the purpose of the Nam Theun II interbasin transfer in Laos is the generation of hydropower by transferring water from a higher-lying basin to a neighboring lower-lying basin. And the purpose of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal is the diversion of polluted water away from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River.

Existing transfers

For the alleviation of water scarcity:

The Central Arizona Project in the USA
The California Aqueduct in the USA
The National Water Carrier in Israel
The Barnard River Scheme in Australia
The Cutzamala Project to supply water to Mexico City
The Drakensberg Pumped Storage Scheme from the Tugela basin into the Vaal River in South Africa

For other purposes:

The Bheri-Babai Multipurpose Project on the Ghaghara River in India (Hydropower and irrigation)
The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in the USA

Transfers under construction

From the Yangtse River to the Yellow River and Beijing as part of the South-North Water Transfer Project in China

Proposed transfers

Linking the Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Cauvery Rivers in India
From the Ubangi River in Congo to the Chari River which empties into Lake Chad.
From the Chalakudy River to the Bharathapuzha River in Kerala, India

Literature

Fereidoun Ghassemi and Ian White: Inter-Basin Water Transfer, Case Studies from Australia, United States, Canada, China and India, Cambridge University Press, International Hydrology Series, 2007, ISBN-13: 9780521869690

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	An '''interbasin transfer''' is a transfer of water from one [[river basin]] to another. The purpose of an interbasin transfer typically is to alleviate shortages in a deficit basin by transferring water from a surplus basin. Their importance is expected to increase due to population growth, increased water demand for [[irrigation]], industry and municipal water supply, as well as because of increased hydrological variability caused by [[climate change]]. Interbasin transfers are often large and expensive, involving major infrastructure and the massive use of energy for pumping. They are also complicated in legal terms, since [[Water right\|water rights]] are affected, especially if the basin of origin is a transboundary river. Finally, transfers often have significant negative environmental impacts on [[~~Aquatic~~ ecosystem\|aquatic ecosystems]].		An '''interbasin transfer''' is a transfer of water from one [[river basin]] to another. The purpose of an interbasin transfer typically is to alleviate shortages in a deficit basin by transferring water from a surplus basin. Their importance is expected to increase due to population growth, increased water demand for [[irrigation]], industry and municipal water supply, as well as because of increased hydrological variability caused by [[climate change]]. Interbasin transfers are often large and expensive, involving major infrastructure and the massive use of energy for pumping. They are also complicated in legal terms, since [[Water right\|water rights]] are affected, especially if the basin of origin is a transboundary river. Finally, transfers often have significant negative environmental impacts on [[ ecosystem\|aquatic ecosystems]].

	In some cases the purpose of the transfer is not the alleviation of water scarcity. For example, the purpose of the [[Nam Theun II]] interbasin transfer in Laos is the generation of hydropower by transferring water from a higher-lying basin to a neighboring lower-lying basin. And the purpose of the [[Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal]] is the diversion of polluted water away from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River.		In some cases the purpose of the transfer is not the alleviation of water scarcity. For example, the purpose of the [[Nam Theun II]] interbasin transfer in Laos is the generation of hydropower by transferring water from a higher-lying basin to a neighboring lower-lying basin. And the purpose of the [[Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal]] is the diversion of polluted water away from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River.