the narmada damming project

The Narmada Valley Project is the largest single river project in India to date. ‘The idea of tapping or damming the Narmada waters was debated way back in 1946 by the concerned provincial governments over issues like the sharing of water between the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.’ However for many years the damming project was put on hold, due to political and legal wrangling that culminated with the Narmada Waters Dispute. In the late 1980s the construction of the dams was finally underway, which was met with a huge following against the damming. Since the construction, the waters of the Narmada have been rising violently. The construction of large dams on the Narmada River has generated critical social and political debates in contemporary India. In its passage through the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat, it is the site of 30 large, 135 medium and 3,000 small dams. Sardar Sarovar is one of the gigantic dams expected to irrigate 5 million ac...