Sardar Sarovar Dam - Developments and Conflicts

A comprehensive study of the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Naramada River of Gujarat India

1. Sardar Sarovar Dam
Namrata Handique

2. Introduction
TheSardarSarovarDam(SSD)isaconcretegravitydam
ontheNarmadaRivercrossingGujaratinIndia.Itisthe
largestdamandpartoftheNarmadaValleyProject,alarge
hydraulicengineeringprojectinvolvingofaseriesoflarge
irrigationandhydroelectricmulti-purposedams.
TheNarmadaisIndia’slargestwestflowingriver.
OriginatingineasternMadhyaPradesh(MP),itflows670
milesthroughthestate,thenMaharashtraandGujaratfor
46milesandfinallyruns100milesthroughGujaratand
emptiesintoGulfofKhambhat.
•LOCATION
Kevadia, Narmada,
Gujarat, India
•CONSTRUCTION
STARTED
April 1987
•COMMISSIONED
2006-2007
•POWER
GENERATION
CAPACITY
1,450MW

4. About SSD
•Itisthesecond-largestconcretedamintheworldintermsofthevolumeof
concreteusedtoconstructthedam(aftertheGrandCouleeDamintheUnited
States).
•Itinvolvesaseriesoflargeirrigationandhydroelectricmulti-purposedams.
•TheirrigationbenefitsaccruetothestatesofRajasthanandGujaratwhilethe
hydroelectricpoweroftheSSPistobesharedbythestatesofGujarat,
MadhyaPradeshandMaharashtra.Maharashtraistogetaround57percentof
theelectricityproduced;MadhyaPradeshwillgetaround27percentand
Gujarataround16percent.
•ItwasfundedbytheWorldBankthroughitsInternationalBankfor
ReconstructionandDevelopment(IBRD),althoughitwithdrewin1994.
•ThegoalofSSDistoharnesstheirrigationandhydroelectricpotentialof
NarmadaRiver.

6. ***Not SSD (For reference only)

7. Sardar Sarovar Dam

8. •NarmadaisthefifthlargestriverinIndia,
traversing1,312kmfromtheAmarkantak
rangeinMadhyaPradeshtodrainintothe
ArabianSeaattheGulfofCambay.
•TheSSPisexpectedtosupplywaterfor
irrigationof1.84millionhaoflandacross
15districtsand73suburbsincluding
droughtproneregionsinGujarat,aswellas
twodistrictsofRajasthan.Itisalso
expectedtosupplydrinkingwaterto29
millioninhabitantsacross131townsand
9,633villagesinthestate.
•Itwillsupplywatertowildlifesanctuaries
andindustries,aswellassecuretheneedsof
Gujarat’sexpectedpopulationof40million,
projectedby2021.

9. 1960s-Late1970s
TheSardarSarovarproject(SSP)wasavisionofthe
firstdeputyprimeministerofIndia,SardarVallabhbhai
Patel.Thefoundationstoneoftheprojectwaslaidoutby
PanditJawaharlalNehruonApril5,1961aftercarrying
outastudyontheusageoftheNarmadariverwater.
However,theprojectkeptgettingdelayedbecausethe
stategovernmentofMaharashtra,MPandGujaratwere
notagreeingonhowtosharethewateroftheNarmada.
Afternumerousattemptsatnegotiations,Gujaratin1968
formallyregisteredacompliantunderInter-stateWater
DisputeAct,1956.Thus,toresolvethedisagreement,
throughtheact,TheNarmadaWaterDisputesTribunal
wasconstitutedinOctober1969.
Sardar VallabbhaiPatel
Jawaharlal Nehru University

10. Theagreementofsharingandusingwaterbythefourstatesweredefinedby
theNarmadaWaterDisputeTribunal(NWDT)andin1979,NWDTgaveit
award.Underthisaward,Gujaratwasallocated11,000Mm³representing
aboutone-thirdofthe75percentdependableusableannualwaterflow,and
wasauthorizedtoimplementaprojectcomprising:
•TheSardarSarovarDam,
•1,200megawatt(MW)riverbedpowerhouse(RBPH),
•250MWcanalheadpowerhouse(CHPH),
•acanalsystemtoirrigate1.87m.hainGujaratand70,000hainRajasthan,
and
•awatersupplysystemforabout30millionpeopleinthedroughtprone
areasofSaurashtraandKachchh.
Awardalsomentionedaboutcostofconstruction,rehabilitation,
compensation.

11. 1980s: Clearance and Protest
•AlthoughtheNWDTgaveitsawardin1979,buttheworkontheDam
keptgettingdelayedbycomplicatedclearanceprocedureandlackof
adequatefinancing.
•In1983,itwasfoundoutthatSSPdidnotmeettheMinistryof
EnvironmentandForestguidelinesforclearance.
•In1985,WorldBank(WB)extendedtoSSP$450millionasloan(also
includerehabilitationandresettlements).
•AfterseveraldroughtyearsinGujaratandincreasedpoliticalpressure,
conditionalclearancesweregiventoSSPandNarmadaSagarProjects
(NSP).InJune1987,constructionworkbeganimmediately.

12. Narmada BachaoAndolan(1985)
Astheplanningoftheprojectwasonitsway,though,itsooncaught
theattentionofsocialactivistswhofoundthatthedamdidnotmeetthe
requiredenvironmentalandsocialconditionsasmetedoutbythe
MinistryofEnvironmentandForests.Foremostamongthosewhoraised
voiceagainsttheprojectwasMedhaPatkarwhofirstvisitedthesiteof
thedamin1985.

13. Narmada BachaoAndolan(1985)
MedhaPatkar
Anti-Dam Protest started in 1985

14. Amir Khan
Arundhati Roy
Baba Amte

15. World Bank Independent Review
During1991,duetomountingpressure,theWB
decidedtocommissionanindependentreviewofthe
environmentalandresettlementaspectsofNarmada
developmentProjects.
Duetoallegedshortcomings,inadequateassessment
madebytheIndiangovernment,in1993theWorld
BankcancelledtheloanauthorisedtoSSP.

16. Narmada BachaoAndolan
TheAndolan,in1996,approachedtheSupremeCourt
(SC)andobtainedastayonthedam.Butthestaylasted
onlyfor4yrs.
In2000,SCtookthefinalcall.TheSCallowedthe
constructionofthedamtoproceed,provideditmetwith
certainconditions.Theforemostconditionplacedbythe
Courtwasthatallthosedisplacedbytheincreasein
heightof5metresbesatisfactorilyrehabilitatedandthat
theprocessberepeatedforeveryfivemetresincreasein
height.

17. Commenting on the benefits to be made from the project the Court said the following in its verdict:
“Theprojecthasthepotentialtofeedasmanyas20millionpeople,
providedomesticandindustrialwaterforabout30million,employ
about1million,andprovidevaluablepeakelectricpowerinanarea
withhighunmetpowerdemand(farmpumpsoftengetonlyafewhours
ofpowerperday).”

18. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi at the inauguration of the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat in 2017.