Narmada Hydroelectric Development Corporation Ltd., Bhopal
India is endowed with tremendous water wealth which is yet to be harnessed to its potential. Reasons for slow pace of development of water resources projects vary from lack of financial resources to deterrents sometimes posed by environmentalists. Sustainable development of any project is however received with great enthusiasm by the society. The models of sustainability are also designed to meet both economic and environmental objectives in time and space. Exploitation of natural resources beyond their regenerative capacities has led to environmental degradation worldwide. Sustainable development therefore aims at maintaining an equilibrium between human needs and economic developments within the parameters of environmental conservation while ensuring trade-offs between desired production-consumption levels.
Indira Sagar project is an ambitious project on river Narmada. It has an installed capacity of 1000 MW and is located at Punasa in the district of Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. The project is the biggest in India on its completion in terms of its storage capacity. Due to its tremendous water holding capacity it will provide water to all the downstream projects i.e., Omkareshwar project and Maheshwar Project in Madhya Pradesh and Sardar Sarovar project in Gujarat. The Indira Sagar project was granted Environment and Forest clearance in the year 1987 by Ministry of Environment and Forest, New Delhi.
Big storage schemes on one hand take care of vagaries of monsoon and on the other, also entail environmental consequences. In the present paper case study of Indira Sagar project has been discussed with special reference to efforts made in prediction, management and mitigation of environmental and social consequences.
