Case Study 4 February 2000-Narmada Project

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Case Study 4 February 2000

The Narmada Valley Development Project

ContextThere has been a great deal of controversy in recent years regarding large scale river damprojects, such as the Three Gorges Project in China. Whilst such projects offer the prospect ofabundant hydroelectricity, water supply and irrigation they frequently involve the flooding ofagricultural land and the submergence of settlements. One of the most controversial schemes atpresent being implemented involves the Narmada River in India.

What is the Narmada Valley Development Project?The Narmada River rises in the Maikala Range, to the south-east of Jabalpur in central northern

India. It flows west through a broad and fertile valley to join the Arabian Sea via the Gulf ofCambay (Figure 1).

The Indian government's plan is to construct 30 large, 135 medium and up to 3,000 small damsto harness the waters of the Narmada and its tributaries. The government has put forward severalreasons for the dams :-

there are serious water shortages in parts of Gujarat (see Figure 1), which has been proneto droughts

water for irrigation would open-up marginal land for agriculture and increase overallproduction

electricity (from H.E.P.) will help India along the path of development

Why is the plan controversial?There are a great many opponents to the plan, both at home and abroad. The International RiversNetwork campaigns against large scale dam projects (Figure 2)and it cites several reasons whythe Narmada plan should not go ahead in its current form :-

the plan is unnecessarily large and costly. Smaller, more sustainable and localisedprojects, perhaps using alternative technologies, could help to relieve some of the watershortages in Gujarat.

some of the areas in greatest need of irrigation are planned to be at the far end of theirrigation canal network and would not receive water until 2020

the plans are based on insufficient hydrological and seismic data - in the past, severeearthquakes have been linked to reservoir construction

the potential benefits are being grossly exaggerated and have been based on inaccuratecost-benefit analysis

up to 1 million people will be displaced and will need re-settlement. The development ofthe largest dam, the Sardar Sarovar (see Figure1), alone is estimated to result in thedisplacement of 32,000 people. It will affect the livelihoods of thousands of others.
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the riverine ecosystem will be severely affected by the construction of the damsThe Maheshwar DamOne of the 30 large dams in the Narmada Valley Development Project, the Maheshwar dam hasbeen particularly controversial. It is India's first privately financed dam, a decision made

necessary by the withdrawal of support from developmental organisations following massivepublic protests to the Narmada Project as a whole. With an estimated construction cost of $US530 million, it is planned to generate 400 Megawatts of energy.

The dam and subsequent flooding of the valley upstream is estimated to displace 35,000 peopleand submerge 61 villages. Some of these people make their living from the river, fishing orextracting silt and sand - they are landless and look likely to receive no compensation. Whilstthe law requires land-for land rehabilitation, critics report that some people have been offeredcash alternatives because there is insufficient land available (some 100,000 are still awaitingresettlement in the state following earlier dam projects!).

Up until 1998, despite work having already commenced on the dam construction, there had beenno local participation in the planning process. In 1998 a Task Force was set up consisting ofrepresentatives from the affected peoples, planners, and the dam builders. Doubts wereexpressed about the cost-benefit analysis (the cost of resettlement had been massivelyunderestimated) and the Task Force recommended suspension of work on the dam. Therecommendation was ignored by the Madhya Pradesh government. A report published by theGerman NGO Urgewald in 1999, following a study of the project, concluded that "ifcompensation at replacement value would be undertakenthe project would very likely not beeconomically viable".

Following the publication of the report, two German backers (Bayernwerk and V.E.W.) pulled

out on social and environmental grounds. Whilst there are still some foreign companiesinvolved, including the German company Siemens, it seems increasingly likely that investmentwill need to come from within India itself.

Meanwhile the protests continue. They have taken the form of mass rallies (one involved 12,000people) and sit-ins (dharnas), some of which have resulted in violent actions by the police, suchas teargassing. With the huge upwelling of local and international concern, the future of theproject is by no means secure and it remains a risky proposition for investors.

Extended Activities and Internet ResearchThe Narmada Project is very much a current issue and details are changing all the time. Whilst

this case study gives you a good grounding of the 'story so far', you should conduct your ownresearch using the internet to update this study.

To start with, try www.narmada.org. There is a great deal of information here and some usefullinks to other organisations (e.g. International Rivers Network - www.irn.org) and to newspaperarticles.


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Produce a report about the project, considering the potential benefits and the reasons why somany people are against the project. Try to be as objective as you can. Many of theorganisations you will come across, such as the Narmada Bachio Andolan (NBA) have aparticular point of view. Try to track down the Indian government's position. What do you thinkshould be done?

Figure 1

Map reproduced with kind permission of International Rivers Networkhttp://www.irn.org/programs/narmada/map.html

Figure 2

The failure of large scale dam projects

'Large dams imply large budgets for related projects leading to large profits for a small group ofpeople. A mass of research shows that even on purely technical grounds, large dams have beencolossal failures. While they have delivered only a fraction of their purported benefits, they havehad an extremely devastating effect on the riverine ecosystem and have rendered destitute largenumbers of people, whose entire sustenance and modes of living are centred around the river.For no large dam in India has it been shown that the resettled people have been provided withjust compensation and rehabilitation.'The International Rivers Network

The contents and graphics of this web site are copyright of Nelson Thornes Limited 2004

The Narmada Valley Project (NVP) is made up of plans for 30 major, 136 medium and 3,000 minor dams

in India. In Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) in the state of Gujarat and the Narmada Sagar Project (NSP) in

the state of Madhya Pradesh are, at present, the NVP's major constituents. Estimates show that the cost

of the whole project would be around US $19 billion over the next 25 years. The present estimate for

the NSP and the SSP is US $3 billion and $9 billion, respectively.
http://www.irn.org/programs/narmada/map.htmlhttp://www.irn.org/programs/narmada/map.htmlhttp://www.wolterskluwer.com/http://www.irn.org/programs/narmada/map.html


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The state governments of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh claim that the SSP and the NSP wouldirrigate 1.9 million ha and 0.14 million ha of land and generate 1,450 megawatts (mw) and 1,000mw of power, respectively. The hydroelectric power of the SSP would be shared by the states ofGujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh; the irrigation benefits would accrue to the states ofGujarat and Rajasthan. All irrigation and power benefits of the NSP would go only to Madhya

Pradesh. Without the NSP, the SSP would not be able to achieve its full irrigation and powerpotential - it needs regulated water supply from upstream.

These projects had been treading water for many years for want of environmental clearance fromthe Ministry of Environment and Forests. Recently, the Indian government gave clearance for theconstruction of the SSP in Gujarat and the NSP in Madhya Pradesh. But very few dispute the factthat the ecological impacts of these projects have not been properly studied.

Both environmentalists and social activists have raised serious questions about the projects. Thestudies done thus far have been found to be inadequate, or the follow-up actions to rectify thedamages not up to the mark. The government of Gujarat commissioned a study of the projects

carried out by the department of botany, M.S. University, Baroda, in just six months. The studydid not take into consideration the seasonal temporal variations in the climate and many otherimportant parameters. This study was commissioned only after the work on the project hadbegun. Moreover, much of the information in this study derives from government data, ratherthan from recent, independent, empirical data.

Similarly, the Environment Planning and Coordination Organization (EPCO), in Bhopal, carriedout a study to assess the environmental impact of the NSP. This study is an almost worthlessexercise; it is based on secondary data, which were at times found to be contradictory. Such areport can hardly be passed off as legitimate environmental research.

Other studies, conducted by Consulting Engineering Services Pvt. Ltd., in New Delhi, and theIndian Institute of Sciences, in Bangalore, can only be considered a piecemeal approach to thewhole project, because they only examine one or two dams.

Submerging Forests and Agricultural Land

The Sardar Sarovar Project will submerge about 10,000 ha of forest land. The case of theNarmada Sagar Project is even worse: it will submerge 40,332 ha of forest land.

The forests to be submerged are basically teak, with excellent strands of bamboo and otherwoods. The only pure stand of anjun left in India is located in the Dewas district of MadhyaPradesh. Many of these species no longer naturally regenerate.

Although the Madhya Pradesh state policy guarantees that "for all forest areas submerged in theproject, an equal area will be taken up under compensatory forestry," the same document alsostates that big chunks of land are not available in the districts close to the submergence area. Thequestion then is: Where is all the land for afforestation going to come from?


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An amount of US $238,000 has been allocated for the afforestation in Madhya Pradesh. Aconservative estimate would allocate US $1,150 for replanting trees on one hectare of land,meaning that US $238,000 can be used to replant a mere 206 ha.

These projects will also flood a large amount of agricultural and grazing land. Most of the

agricultural land, situated close to the river Narmada, is highly fertile and produces fine yields ofwheat, jowar (barley) and cotton. The official document for the NSP says, "big chunks ofcultivable land are not available in Khandwa, Khargone, Dhar, Jhabua, Dewas Hoshangabad andother districts...In these circumstances the only course left is to allot the affected families smallbits of government land available in the nearby districts of the submergence area." This policywould lead to serious sociocultural disruption in the life of the area's residents. A report carriedout by National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), in New Delhi, mentions that adequate areasin every district would be available for the residents. However, the project authorities have madeno serious attempt to find cultivable land for the residents.

Loss of Wildlife

The project report of the NSP states, "the impact of the project on the wildlife shall be nil. Sincewildlife has got natural characteristics of shifting to nearby jungles wherever it is felt unsuitableto them." In other words, the wildlife will relocate itself. Similarly, the policy document preparedby the government of Madhya Pradesh says, "wildlife in submerged forests will be guided toadjacent localities. Protection of the wildlife will be the responsibility of the forest authorities."These statements not only contradict each other but also reflect the irresponsible attitude of theproject authorities toward the fate of the area's wildlife, which consists of several rare andendangered species. To date, no one has taken an inventory of the species of plants and animalsfound in the forests; these studies have only just been commissioned.

Displacement and Rehabilitation

Both these projects will displace nearly 200,000 people from their homes. Officials sources statethat, in the case of the SSP, 182 villages in Madhya Pradesh, 36 in Maharashtra and 19 inGujarat will be under water, and the NSP will submerge an additional 254 villages in MadhyaPradesh. These figures, however, are incorrect, because they only include revenue villages, withno mention of forest villages. A recent field report by Multiple Action Research Group (MARG),a nongovernmental organization in New Delhi, mentions six forest villages of Tehsil Barwani(Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh) that will go under Sardar Sarovar's waters. Similarly, no attempthas been made to list those villages that will fall victim to the backwater effect.

Out of the more than 25,000 people affected by the SSP in Gujarat and Maharashtra, more than90 percent of them are members of the Bhil and Tadavi tribes. Most of them are landless, and fallinto two categories: traditional tribal cultivators with no land titles, and the real landlessagricultural laborers found in many villages of Madhya Pradesh. For the forest-dwelling tribals,the most serious impact of displacement will be the separation from their natural surroundings.The forest and the river play central roles in their cultural and economic life; neither will bepresent at resettlement sites.


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Cost-Benefit Analysis

A project is sanctioned by the planning commission only when the cost-benefit ratio is 1 to 1.5 -that is, for every rupee spent, there must be a return of at least Rs. 1.50. It has been found thatthis ratio is often distorted by exaggerating the benefits and underplaying the costs.

Environmentalists have made the following points, among others, on the NSP and the SSP:

1. The costs of land acquisition have been underplayed.

2. The allocation of money for compensatory afforestation is inadequate and distorted. For theNSP, it is US $238,000 for afforestation of 40,332 ha. It is US $4 million for afforestation of10,000 ha in the case of the SSP.

3. The value of the forest land has been calculated only in terms of commercial products. Theanalysis does not consider the loss of ecological benefits of forests.

4. The loss of wildlife is omitted from the cost-benefit analysis.

5. The cost of preventive measures for waterlogging is also omitted from the cost-benefitanalysis.

6. Due to delays in the clearance of these projects, present costs of construction run much higherthan anticipated.

Other Impacts

Environmentalists and social activists have anticipated many other negative impacts of these

projects. Some of them are:

1. Seismicity - a hotly debated issue that seems to produce more confusion than clarity.

2. Contamination by pollution, pesticides and minerals.

3. Saltwater ingress at mouth of river due to reduced water flow.

4. Spread of waterborne diseases in the command area.

5. Impact on aquatic ecology.

On the basis of these serious inadequacies and distortions, we strongly demand that all the initialassumptions and ideas be reevaluated before pushing ahead with these projects.

The following steps should be taken to prove inadequacies and distortions in the existingassessments:

Independent Assessments:


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Detailed sociological and anthropological studies on the existing sociocultural lifestyle of thoseto be relocated are desperately needed in order to assess the likely impact of the changes. Equallyvital are studies on the environmental impacts of the projects. Independent cost-benefit analysesmust be carried out to judge the feasibility and viability of these projects.

Public Awareness and Mass Media

The full utilization of communication techniques, including mass media, would help createwidespread awareness and understanding of these issues. Exhibitions plays, film shows andpublication of articles and books can bring awareness at many different levels.

Local People's Action

The people Maharashtra and Gujarat have been able to organized themselves to demand betterrehabilitation with the help of Narmada Dharangrasht Samiti/SETU and Chattra Yuva SangharshVahini. Little sign of this mobilization is evident among the people of Madhya Pradesh,

however; out of the total 491 villages to be submerged (from the NSP and the SSP), 436 (morethan 90 percent) are situated in Madhya Pradesh alone. Two local organizations in the state -Narmada Ghati Sangharsh Samiti, Harsude and Narmada Ghati Nav Nirman Samiti, Tavlai - areworking in these areas, but the existing sociopolitical situation has not allowed these samitis(organizations) to organize the potential oustees.

Legislative Measures

Both the projects involve displacing nearly 200,000 people, many of whom make their livingsfrom common property resources. There is no comprehensive resettlement and rehabilitationscheme for them in the directives and rules laid down thus far. A petition on behalf of these

people can be filed under Article 21 of India's Constitution, which says, "no person shall bedeprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law." Aposition proving the inadequacies and distortions in the existing assessments can also be filed inthe court.

Sardar Sarovar Dam


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The Sardar Sarovar Dam,

partially completed in August 2008

Location of Sardar Sarovar Dam

Country India

Location Navagam,Gujarat

Coordinates

214949N

734450ECoordinates:

214949N 734450E

Status Operational

Owner(s) Narmada Control Authority

Dam and spillways

Type of dam Gravity, concrete

Height (foundation) 163 m (535 ft)
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Length 1,210 m (3,970 ft)

Impounds Narmada River

Spillway capacity 84,949 m3/s (2,999,900 cu ft/s)

Reservoir

Capacity9,500,000,000 m3

(7,701,775 acreft)

Active capacity5,800,000,000 m3

(4,702,137 acreft)

Catchment area 88,000 km2(34,000 sq mi)

Surface area 375.33 km2(144.92 sq mi)

Normal elevation 138 m (453 ft)

Reservoir length 214 km (133 mi)

Max. reservoir width16.10 km (10.00 mi)

Power station

Operator(s)Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam

Limited

Commission date June 2006

Turbines

Dam: 6 x 200MWFrancis pump-

turbine

Canal: 5 x 50 MWKaplan-type[1]

Installed capacity 1,450 MW

Website

www.sardarsarovardam.org

The Sardar Sarovar Damis agravity damon theNarmada RivernearNavagam,GujaratinIndia.It is the largest dam and part of the Narmada Valley Project, a largehydraulic engineeringproject involving the construction of a series of largeirrigationandhydroelectricmulti-purpose
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dams on the Narmada River. The project took from in 1979 as part of a development scheme toincrease irrigation and produce hydroelectricity.

One of the 30 dams planned on river Narmada, Sardar Sarovar Dam (SSD) is the largeststructure to be built. It has a proposed final height of 163 m (535 ft) from foundation.[2]The

project will irrigate more than 18,000 km

2

(6,900 sq mi), most of it indroughtprone areas ofKutchandSaurashtra.The dam's main power plant houses six 200 MWFrancis pump-turbinestogenerate electricity and afford apumped-storagecapability. Additionally, a power plant on theintake for the main canal contains five 50 MWKaplan turbine-generators. The total installedcapacity of the power facilities is 1,450 MW.

Narmada Canal

Main article:Narmada Canal

The dam will irrigate 17,920 km2(6,920 sq mi) of land spread over 12 districts, 62 talukas, and

3,393 villages (75% of which is drought-prone areas) inGujaratand 730 km2(280 sq mi) in thearid areas ofBarmerandJaloredistricts ofRajasthan.The dam will also provide flood protectionto riverine reaches measuring 30,000 ha (74,000 acres) covering 210 villages andBharuchcityand a population of 400,000 in Gujarat.[3]

Solar power generation

Government of Gujarat plans to generate solar power from placing solar panels over the canalmaking it beneficial for the villages around to get power and also helping to reduce theevaporation of precious water. The first phase consists of covering 25 km to generate 25 MW ofpower.[4]

Projected benefits

The benefits of the dam as listed in the Judgement ofSupreme Court of Indiain 2000 were:

"The argument in favour of the Sardar Sarovar Project is that the benefits are so large that they

substantially outweigh the costs of the immediate human and environmental disruption. Without the

dam, the long term costs for people would be much greater and lack of an income source for future

generations would put increasing pressure on the environment. If the waters of the Narmada river

continuous to flow to the sea unused there appears to be no alternative to escalating human

deprivation, particularly in the dry areas of Gujarat.

The project has the potential to feed as many as 20 million people, provide domestic andindustrial water for about 30 million, employ about 1 million, and provide valuable peak electricpower in an area with high unmet power demand (farm pumps often get only a few hours powerper day). In addition, recent research shows substantial economic multiplier effects (investmentand employment triggered by development) from irrigation development. Set against the futures
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of about 70,000 project affected people, even without the multiplier effect, the ratio ofbeneficiaries to affected persons is well over 100:1."[5]

Controversy

Main article:Narmada Bachao Andolan

The dam is one of India's most controversial dam projects and its environmental impact and netcosts and benefits are widely debated. TheWorld Bankwas initially a funder of the SSD, butwithdrew in 1994. The Narmada Dam has been the centre of controversy and protest since thelate 1980s.[6]

One such protest takes center stage in the Spanner films documentaryDrowned Out(2002),which follows one tribal family who decide to stay at home and drown rather than make way forthe Narmada Dam.[7]An earlier documentary film is calledA Narmada Diary(1995) byAnandPatwardhanandSimantini Dhuru.The efforts of NBA to seek social and environmental justice

for those most directly affected by the Sardar Sarover Dam construction feature prominently inthis award winning film (Filmfare Award for Best Documentary-1996).[8]

The figurehead of much of the protest isMedha Patkar,the leader of the "Narmada BachaoAndolan," the "Save Narmada Movement."[9]The movement was cemented in 1989, and wasawarded theRight Livelihood Awardin 1991.[10]

Support for the protests also came from Indian authorArundhati Roy,who wrote "The GreaterCommon Good", an essay reprinted in her book The Cost of Living, in protest of the NarmadaDam Project.[11]In the essay, Roy states:

Big Dams are to a Nation's 'Development' what Nuclear Bombs are to its Military Arsenal. Theyare both weapons of mass destruction. They're both weapons Governments use to control theirown people. Both Twentieth Century emblems that mark a point in time when humanintelligence has outstripped its own instinct for survival. They're both malignant indications ofcivilisation turning upon itself. They represent the severing of the link, not just the linktheunderstandingbetween human beings and the planet they live on. They scramble theintelligence that connects eggs to hens, milk to cows, food to forests, water to rivers, air to lifeand the earth to human existence.

Height increases
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The Sardar Sarovar Dam,

undergoing height increase in 2006.

In February 1999, the Supreme Court of India gave the go ahead for the dam's height to beraised to 88 m (289 ft) from the initial 80 m (260 ft).

In October 2000 again, in a 2-to-1 majority judgment in the Supreme Court, the government wasallowed to construct the dam up to 90 m (300 ft) .[12]

In May 2002, the Narmada Control Authority approved increasing the height of the dam to 95 m(312 ft).

In March 2004, the Authority allowed a 15 m (49 ft) height increase to 110 m (360 ft). In March 2006, the Narmada Control Authority gave clearance for the height of the dam to

increased from 110.64 m (363.0 ft) to 121.92 m (400.0 ft). This came after 2003 when the

Supreme Court of India refused allow the height of the dam to increase again.

In August 2013, heavy rains raised the reservoir level to 131.5 m (431 ft), which forced 7,000villagers upstream along the Narmada River to relocate.[13]

Report of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF)

The Second Interim Report of the Experts' Committee set up by theMinistry of Environment andForests(MoEF) of the Government of India to assess the planning and implementation ofenvironmental safeguards with respect to the Sardar Sarovar (SSP) and Indira Sagar projects(ISP) on the Narmada River. The report covers the status of compliances on catchment areatreatment (CAT), flora and fauna and carrying capacity upstream, command area development(CAD), compensatory afforestation and human health aspects in project impact areas.Construction, on the other hand, has been proceeding apace: the ISP is complete and the SSPnearing completion. The report recommends that no further reservoir-filling be done at eitherSSP or ISP; that no further work be done on canal construction; and that even irrigation from theexisting network be stopped forthwith until failures of compliance on the various environmentalparameters have been fully remedied.[14]
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The Supreme Court decision

Despite popular protest, the Supreme Court gave clearance for the height to be increased to121.92 m (400 ft), but in the same judgment Justice Mr. Bharucha gave directions to MadhyaPradesh and Maharashtra (the Grievance Redressal Authorities of Gujarat) that before further

construction begins, they should certify (after inspection) that all those displaced by the raise inheight of 5 metres have already been satisfactorily rehabilitated, and also that suitable vacantland for rehabilitating them is already in the possession of the respective States. This processshall be repeated for every successive five metre increase in height.

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Case Study 4 February 2000-Narmada Project

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