12. Sardar Sarovar Project and the Raging Controversies

The Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) on the Narmada River is a danger – not because of deficiencies in design nor due to defects in construction, but because of the venomous propaganda unleashed against the project within and outside the country by vested interests. The project, according to them, is worse than a nuclear bomb, is flawed in more ways than one and the ultimate out-come will be a human, ecological and financial disaster. As per their perception, there are several cost effective options, which are environment friendly, which can be put in place without displacing people from their habitats and quick enough to produce everlasting benefits within short periods as compared to the present large dam-approach adopted for the development of the basin's water resources. Narmada is the fifth largest river with an annual flow of 36.5 million acre feet (MAF), approximating the combined flow of the rivers Sutlej, Beas and Ravi of the Indus basin. Originating in M.P. it has a catchment area of about a lakh sq. kms. And drains large parts of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat areas, before finally falling into the Gulf of Cambay. Despite being among the country's largest rivers, this river has remained among the least developed.