1. Narmada Water Issue Presented by: Prof. Hem Raj Subedee, Ph.D.
Program Co-ordinator
Department of conflict, peace and Development studies
Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Nepal

2. Introduction Central India
Fifth largest river in the Indian Sub-continent
Completely flows within India
Traditional boundary between North and South India
Non snow fed perennial river
Longest west flowing river in India

3. Narmada river in Omkareshwar

4. Origin and Course
Origin Summit of Amarkantak Hill in M.P m above sea level
Outfall into Gulf of Cambay,Bharuch district, Gujarat
Total 1312 km
First 321 km Mandla Hills form the head of Satpura Range
Another 745 km through plains
87 km through the george between Vindhyas and Satupuras boundary between Maharastra and M.P and then between Maharastra and Gujarat
159 km in the plains in Gujarat to its outfall into the sea

5. Large dams on the Narmada River

6. Narmada Basin Between Vindhya and Satpura ranges Extends 98,796 km2
Madhya Pradesh(86%), Gujarat(14%) and Maharastra (2%)
41 tributaries, 22 from Satpura, 19 from Vindhya
Five physiographic regions
Upper hilly areas Well Forested
Upper Plains Broad and fertile areas for cultivation Black soil
Middle Plains Broad and fertile areas for cultivation Black soil
Lower Hilly areas Well Forested
Lower Plains Broad and fertile areas for cultivation Black soil

7. Initiation for Water Exploitation
Severe drought conditions in the basin along with other parts of central and western India
Famine Commission in 1901 under British Raj
Central Waterways, Irrigation and Navigation Commission (CWINC) recommended 7 different sites for storage reservoirs
In 1948, Dr A.N.Khosla prioritized four sites
Bharuch district, Punasa in Khanwa district, Tawa in Hoshangabad district and Bargi in Jabalpur district.
Project report in 1963
Central Water and Power Commission (CWPC) renamed from CWINC in 1955 also conducted study of hydroelectric potential 16 sites
1300 MW of electricity

8. Initial Dispute 1957 Rep. Bombay and Madhya Pradesh
Construction of Dam also at Navagam, Narmada district of Gujarat(present)-
Extend benefits up to the Rann of Kutch
Meanwhile, on May 1st 1960, Bombay split into Maharastra and Gujarat
Approval for the dam at Navagam by Gujarat, PM Jawaharlal Nehru inagurated

9. Dispute over the height of the Navagam dam
CWPC Full reservoir level (FRL) 91.4 m
Ministry of Power and Irrigation FRL 97.5 m
Gujarat govt. FRL of m for full utilization of the untapped flow below Punasa
Chief Minister Madhya Pradesh FRL 49.4 m which is the bedlevel of the river at the Gujarat- Madhya Pradesh Border
Beginning of a Bitter Dispute

10. Initial Resolution
Narmada Water Resources Development Committee under A.N.Khosla in 1964 by the Union government
13 major projects in the basin on the Narmada and its major tributaries
Priority to irrigation over power
Irrigation of 2630 km2
Navagam dam recommended to be FRL of m
Irrigation Canal RL of 91.5 m
Total installed capacity at the river bed 1400 MW
Rajasthan would share the irrigation benefits
Gujarat accepted, M.P. and Maharastra rejected them

11. Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal
Under the Inter State Water Disputes Act 1956 GOI set up in 1969
Determined the utilizable Narmada waters to be 27,000,000 acre feet at 75% dependability
Allocation to the four states- water and power
Navagam Dam FRL of 140 m
Cost sharing among the states
Regulated release from the Narmada Sagar Dam
Gujarat to bear all the resettlement and relocation costs

12. Tribunal Award

13. Extensive studies on the project delayed the start
World Bank: funding and project costs 1985
Resettlement and Rehabilitation package revised above the NWDT
Further Environmental Studies
Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoE&F)
Delay in forest clearance for the project
In June 1987, MoE&F gave conditional approval for Sardar Sarovar and Narmada Sagar Projects
Forest clearance approval for Sardar Sarovar only in Sept. 1987

14. Implementation of the NWDT
Narmada Control Authority(NCA) Dec rep. from the four party states and govt. of India
Sardar Sarovar Construction Advisory Committee (SSCAC) statuatory body to ensure efficient, economical and timely execution of Unit I and Unit III of Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP)
Review Committee
Environmental Sub-group under NCA
Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNL) in Gujarat
Narmada Valley Development Authority in Madhya Pradesh

15. Narmada River Development Multi State Hydropower and Irrigation
30 Major dams including Sardar Sarovar 21irrigation, 5 hydropower and 4 multipurpose
135 medium dams
3 minor dams in M.P
Utilize 18,250,000 acre feet of water before 2025
Domestic and Industrial water use
Water diversion to Son and Ton river, drought prone Saurasthra,Kutch, northern mainland Gujarat,southern Rajasthan.
Power Generation of 2600 MW
40,000 sq. km of irrigated land
$100 million in 1961, rose to $3 billion in 2011

16. Narmada Bachao Andolan(NBA)
Agitated people
Height of Dam, Benefit Sharing, Mode of Settlement of the Project
Sardar Sarovar Dam
Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court of India
Questioned the claims of benefits from the major projects
Challenged the rehabilitation package for the affected people
Rejected Environmental impact assessment and the remedial actions
Urged the World Bank to withdraw from the project
Worse Mission – Independent Review Mission (Moorse?}

17. Supreme Court deliberated on the issue for several years
Upheld the Tribunal Award and allowed the construction to proceed subject to conditions
Grievance Redressal Authorities(GRA) in each party state to monitor the progress of the resettlement of the pari-passu with the raising of the height of the dam

18. Sardar Sarovar Project, Navagam
Terminal Project on the main stem of Narmada, Gujarat
Shared allocated water to Gujarat and Rajasthan
Concrete Gravity Dam 1210 m length, 163 m height and 7,700,000 acre feet storage capacity
Irrigation of 18,000 sq. km in Gujarat, 4,260 in sq. km in Rajasthan, hydro power of 1450 MW.
48,269 families affected, sq. km of area affected land.
Submergence area- fully tribal area, mixed population area on the Nimad plains.

19. Sardar Sarovar Dam, partially completed

20. Indira Sagar canal for Irrigation