Sardar Sarovar Dam Explained

Sardar Sarovar Dam
Name Official:Sardar Sarovar Dam
Image Caption:The Sardar Sarovar Dam on Narmada river
Image Alt:15
Location:Navagam, Kevadia, Narmada District, Gujarat, India
Coordinates:21.8303°N 73.7472°W
Status:Operational
Construction Began:April 1987
Opening:17 September 2017
Owner:Government of Gujarat
Operator:Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited
Dam Type:Gravity dam
Dam Crosses:Narmada River
Dam Height Foundation:163m (535feet)
Dam Length:1210m (3,970feet)
Spillway Count:30 (Chute spillway (auxiliary) – 7 : 18.30 m x 18.00 m, Service Spillway – 23 : 18.30 m x 16.75 m)
Spillway Type:Ogee
Spillway Capacity:86944m3/s
Res Name:Sardar Sarovar Reservoir
Res Capacity Total:9.46lk=outNaNlk=out (334.12 tmc ft)
Res Capacity Active:5.76lk=outNaNlk=out (203.44 tmc ft)
Res Capacity Inactive:3.7lk=outNaNlk=out
Res Catchment:88000km2
Res Surface:375.33km2
Res Max Length:214km (133miles)
Res Max Width:16.1km (10miles)
Res Max Depth:140m
Res Elevation:138m (453feet)
Plant Operator:Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited
Plant Turbines:Dam: 6 × 200 MW Francis pump-turbine
Canal: 5 × 50 MW Kaplan-type[1]
Plant Capacity:1,450 MW
Plant Annual Gen:Varies from 1 Billion kWh in surplus rainfall year to 0.86 Billion kWh in deficit year.
Location Map:India Gujarat
Dam Height:138.68 meters

The Sardar Sarovar Dam is a concrete gravity dam built on the Narmada River near the town of Kevadiya, in Narmada District, in the Indian state of Gujarat. The dam was constructed to provide water and electricity to the Indian states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation of the project on 5 April 1961.[2] The project took form in 1979 as part of a development scheme funded by the World Bank through their International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, to increase irrigation and produce hydroelectricity, using a loan of US$200 million.[3] The construction for dam begun in 1987, but the project was stalled by the Supreme Court of India in 1995 in the backdrop of Narmada Bachao Andolan over concerns of displacement of people. In 2000–01 the project was revived but with a lower height of 111 meters under directions from SC, which was later increased in 2006 to 123 meters and 139 meters in 2017. The Sardar Sarovar Dam is 1210 meters long.[4] The dam was inaugurated in 2017 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[5] The water level in the Sardar Sarovar Dam eventually reached its highest capacity at 138.7 metres on 15 September 2019.[6] [7]

As one of the 25 dams planned on river Narmada, the Sardar Sarovar Dam is the largest structure to be built. It is the second largest concrete dam in the world in terms of the volume of concrete used in its construction, after the Grand Coulee Dam across the Columbia River, US.[8] [9] It is a part of the Narmada Valley Project, a large hydraulic engineering project involving the construction of a series of large irrigation and hydroelectricity multi-purpose dams on the Narmada River. After a number of cases before the Supreme Court of India (1999, 2000, 2003), by 2014 the Narmada Control Authority had approved a series of changes in the final height and the associated displacement caused by the increased reservoir, from the original 80m (260feet) to a final 163m (535feet) from foundation.[10] The project will irrigate 1.9 million hectare area, most of it in drought prone areas of Kutch and Saurashtra.

The dam's main power plant houses six 200 megawatts (MW) Francis pump-turbines to generate electricity and include a pumped-storage capability. Additionally, a power plant on the intake for the main canal contains five 50MW Kaplan turbine-generators. The total installed capacity of the power facilities is 1,450 MW.[11] The tallest statue in the world, the Statue of Unity, faces the dam. This statue has been created as a symbol of tribute to Vallabhbhai Patel.[12]

Geography

The dam is located in Gujarat's Narmada district and Kevadia village, on the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra. To the west of the dam, is Madhya Pradesh's Malwa plateau, where the Narmada river dissects the hills tracts and culminates in the Mathwar hills.[13]

The dam is 1,210 meters long and stands 163 meters tall. The Sardar Sarovar reservoir has a gross capacity of 0.95 million hectares meter and live storage capacity of 0.586 million hectares meter. It occupies an area of 37,000ha with an average length of 214 km and width of 1.7 km. The river catchment area above the dam site is 88,000 square kilometers. It has a spillway discharging capacity of 87,000 cubic meters a second.[14] This dam is one case study to learn about Integrated River Basin Planning, Development and Management.[15]

Water management

The reservoir operation in the catchment area during the monsoons (from July to October) is well synchronized with the rain forecast. The River Bed Power House (RPBH) is responsible for strategically maximizing the annual allocation of water share. It ensures that minimum water flows downstream, and maximum water is used in the dam overflow period (generally in Monsoons). In non-monsoon months, RPBH takes measures to minimize the conventional and operational losses, avoiding water storage, restricting water intensive perennial crops, adoption of underground pipelines, proper maintenance of canals, related structures and operation of canals on a rotational basis.[16]

History

This project was envisioned by the first Home Minister of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone of this project in 1961. A thorough survey was carried out by his government to study the usage of the Narmada River which flows through states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat to the Arabian Sea.[17]

As the river was shared between the three states (Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh) there were disputes regarding sharing of water and other important resources. As the negotiations were not successful a report was created, and the Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal (NWDT) was established in 1969. In 1979 the NWDT gave its verdict after assessing all the reports.[18]

Importance in Gujarat

This dam is called 'the lifeline of Gujarat'. Seventy five percent of Gujarat's command area is considered a drought prone area, this dam will cater for domestic water supply to the regions of Kutch and Saurashatra. In 2021, for the first time Sardar Sarovar Dam provided waters for irrigation in summers.[19]

Narmada Canal

See main article: Narmada Canal.

The dam irrigates 17920km2 of land spread over 12 districts, 62 talukas, and 3,393 villages (75% of which is drought-prone areas) in Gujarat and 730km2 in the arid areas of Barmer and Jalore districts of Rajasthan. The dam provides drinking water to 9490 villages and 173 urban centers in Gujarat; and 1336 villages & 3 towns in Rajasthan. The dam also provides flood protection to riverine reaches measuring 30000ha covering 210 villages and Bharuch city and a population of 400,000 in Gujarat.[20] Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation is a major program to help irrigate a lot of regions using the canal's water.

Solar power generation

See main article: article and Canal Solar Power Project.

In 2011, the government of Gujarat announced plans to generate solar power by placing solar panels over the canal, making it beneficial for the surrounding Villages to get power and also helping to reduce the evaporation of water. The first phase consists of placing panels along a 25 km length of the canal, with a capacity for up to, 25 MW of power.[21]

Statue of Unity

The Government of Gujarat constructed a statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as a symbol of tribute. The statue stands in front of the dam and is considered as one of the major tourist attraction.[22]

Rehabilitation

Resettlement policy and strategy

The Narmada Water Dispute Tribunal, setup by Indian government has provided a policy framework under which rehabilitation of affected people has been implemented. The guiding principles of this policy are:

According to a research paper and survey done by Swaminathan S. Anklesaria Aiyar and Neeraj Kaushal: "Are Resettled Out sees from the Sardar Sarovar Dam Project Better off Today than their Former - despite implementation glitches, those displaced were far better off than their former forest neighbors in ownership of a range of assets including TVs, cellphones, vehicles, access to schools and hospitals, and agricultural markets. The gap in asset ownership and other outcomes between the treatment and comparison groups was often statistically larger if the heads of the household were illiterate compared to the gap if they were literate. This finding suggests that resettlement helped vulnerable groups more than the less vulnerable and that fears that resettlement will destroy the lives and lifestyles of tribal have been grossly exaggerated."[24]

Activism

See main article: Narmada Bachao Andolan. The dam is one of India's most controversial, and its environmental impact and net costs and benefits are widely debated.[25] The World Bank was initially funding, but withdrew in 1994 at the request of the Government of India when the state governments were unable to comply with the loan's environmental and other requirements.[26] The Narmada Dam has been the center of controversy and protests since the late 1980s.

One such protest takes center stage in the Spanner Films documentary Drowned Out (2002), which follows one tribal family who decide to stay at home and drown rather than make way for the Narmada Dam.[27] An earlier documentary film is called A Narmada Diary (1995) by Anand Patwardhan and Simantini Dhuru. The efforts of Narmada Bachao Andolan ("Save Narmada Movement") to seek "social and environmental justice" for those most directly affected by the Sardar Sarovar Dam construction feature prominently in this film. It received the (Filmfare Award for Best Documentary-1996).[28]

The figurehead for most part of the protest is Medha Patkar, the leader of the NBA.[29] Patkar's role is questioned in the protest as she is accused of money laundering.[30] Other notable figures who participated in the protest were Baba Amte, Arundhati Roy and Aamir Khan.[31]

Height increases

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Plants — Asia-Pacific. https://archive.today/20121208130029/http://www.industcards.com/ps-asia-pacific.htm. dead. 8 December 2012. IndustCards. 20 January 2012.
  2. Web site: 56 years of Sardar Sarovar Dam: Narendra Modi dedicates Jawaharlal Nehru's temple of resurgent India to nation . 25 April 2023 . 25 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230425190240/https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/narendra-modi-sardar-sarovar-dam-gujarat-narmada-jawaharlal-nehru-1046511-2017-09-17 . live .
  3. Book: Original report – Narmada dam development project . 6 February 1985 . World Bank . Washington DC . 4 April 2019 . 4 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190404052015/http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/159651468034814390/pdf/multi-page.pdf . live .
  4. Web site: Sardar Sarovar Dam: Years of dispute, finally full height. 18 September 2017. 17 May 2019. 17 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190517145036/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/sardar-sarovar-dam-years-of-dispute-finally-full-height-narmada-river-narendra-modi-4848513/. live.
  5. News: Modi Inaugurates World's Second Biggest Dam On His Birthday. 17 September 2019. Huffingtonpost. 13 November 2020. 19 November 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201119012638/https://www.huffingtonpost.in/amp/2017/09/17/modi-to-inaugurate-worlds-second-largest-dam-on-his-birthday_a_23212068/. live.
  6. News: Sardar Sarovar dam water level touches its highest mark. 15 September 2019. The Economic Times. 16 September 2019. 9 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201209123901/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/sardar-sarovar-dam-water-level-touches-its-highest-mark/articleshow/71140009.cms. live.
  7. Web site: Sardar Sarovar Dam Water Level Touches its Highest Mark, PM Modi to Visit Site on Sept 17. News18. 15 September 2019. 16 September 2019. 21 September 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190921222754/https://www.news18.com/news/india/sardar-sarovar-dam-water-level-touches-its-highest-mark-pm-modi-to-visit-site-on-sept-17-2309971.html. live.
  8. News: PM Modito inaugurate world's second biggest dam on September 17 . 14 September 2017 . The Indian Express . Indo-Asian News Service . 31 December 2018 . 4 July 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190704162042/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/pm-narendra-modi-to-inaugurate-worlds-second-biggest-sardar-sarovar-dam-on-september-17-4843132/ . live .
  9. News: Narendra Modi inaugurates Sardar Sarovar Dam . 17 September 2017 . Al Jazeera . 31 December 2018 . 6 November 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181106173035/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/09/narendra-modi-inaugurates-sardar-sarovar-dam-170917123309247.html . live .
  10. Web site: Sardar Sarovar Power Complex. Narmada Control Authority. 20 January 2012. 30 March 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120330085818/http://nca.gov.in/power_index.htm. dead.
  11. Web site: World bank projects in India – Narmada development . World Bank . https://web.archive.org/web/20190404052006/http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/159651468034814390/India-Narmada-River-Development-Gujarat-Sardar-Sarovar-Dam-and-Power-Project . 4 April 2019 . live.
  12. News: Did You Know How Height of Sardar Patel's 'Statue of Unity' Was Decided? Day 3 Onboard 'Garvi Gujarat'. 3 March 2023. News 18. 25 April 2023. 25 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230425190551/https://www.news18.com/news/india/did-you-know-how-height-of-sardar-patels-statue-of-unity-was-decided-day-3-onboard-garvi-gujarat-7207525.html. live.
  13. Web site: Sardar Sarovar Dam Narmada View · RPJW+VQH, Narmada, Gujarat 393140, India . 2022-10-17 . Sardar Sarovar Dam Narmada View · RPJW+VQH, Narmada, Gujarat 393140, India . en . 17 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017212909/https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sardar+Sarovar+Dam+Narmada+View/@21.8324325,73.7462987,17.6z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x39601dd8bca69993:0xe74ad1afdd1547ea!8m2!3d21.8321802!4d73.7469882?shorturl=1 . live .
  14. Web site: Sardar Sarovar Dam (SSD), Gujarat - Water Technology . 2022-10-19 . www.water-technology.net . 19 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221019031636/https://www.water-technology.net/projects/sardar-sarovar-dam-gujarat/ . live .
  15. Gupta . Rajiv K. . March 2001 . River Basin Management: A Case Study of Narmada Valley Development with Special Reference to the Sardar Sarovar Project in Gujarat, India . International Journal of Water Resources Development . en . 17 . 1 . 55–78 . 10.1080/713672562 . 2001IJWRD..17...55G . 154927607 . 0790-0627 . 5 November 2022 . 3 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230803143411/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/713672562 . live .
  16. Web site: 2021-06-09 . Explained: How Sardar Sarovar Dam is providing irrigation water in summer for the first time in history . 2022-10-19 . The Indian Express . en . 19 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221019235347/https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-how-sardar-sarovar-dam-is-providing-irrigation-water-in-summer-for-the-first-time-in-history-7350969/ . live .
  17. Web site: 2017-09-17 . A short history of the Sardar Sarovar Dam on river Narmada . 2022-10-19 . The Indian Express . en . 19 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221019030049/https://indianexpress.com/article/research/a-short-history-of-the-sardar-sarovar-dam-on-river-narmada-4847807/ . live .
  18. Web site: History of NWDT Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited . 2022-10-19 . sardarsarovardam.org . 19 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221019031804/https://sardarsarovardam.org/history-of-nwdt.aspx . live .
  19. Web site: 2021-06-09 . Explained: How Sardar Sarovar Dam is providing irrigation water in summer for the first time in history . 2022-10-30 . The Indian Express . en . 19 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221019235347/https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-how-sardar-sarovar-dam-is-providing-irrigation-water-in-summer-for-the-first-time-in-history-7350969/ . live .
  20. Web site: Main Features of the Dam. supportnarmadadam.org. 15 April 2010. 14 December 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20091214115841/http://www.supportnarmadadam.org/features-narmada-canal-india.htm. live.
  21. Web site: Soon, solar power panels on Narmada canal:Modi. dna. 15 October 2011. 8 October 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111008044246/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_soon-solar-power-panels-on-narmada-canal-narendra-modi_1594864. live.
  22. Web site: Statue of Unity . 2022-11-03 . gujrattourism . en . 3 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221103233948/https://www.gujarattourism.com/central-zone/narmada/statue-of-unity.html . live .
  23. Shelat . Uday . Resettlement in Narmada River Basin . Department of Architecture and Planning the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India . 16 . 30 October 2022 . 30 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221030044340/https://www.lth.se/fileadmin/hdm/alumni/papers/ad2000/ad2000-08.pdf . live .
  24. Swaminathan . Are Resettled Outsees from the Sardar Sarovar Dam Project Better off Today than their Former . NBER Working Paper No. 24423 . 8 March 2022 . 18 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211118014047/https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w24423/w24423.pdf . live .
  25. News: The verdict and after. Verghese. Boobli George. B. G. Verghese. DownToEarth. 30 November 2000 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171112193908/http://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/the-verdict-and-after-18964. 12 November 2017. unfit.
  26. Book: World Bank . 1995 . Annex 2: Government Cancellation of Bank Loan . Project Completion Report: India: Narmada River Development — Gujarat: Sardar Sarovar Dam and Power Project: Annexes to Part I, and Part III . 148 (page 23 of 61 of Annex 2) .
  27. Web site: Drowned Out: The first 10 minutes of Drowned Out . OneWorldTV . 28 July 2009.
  28. Web site: A Narmada Diary. 13 June 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080221235854/http://www.frif.com/cat97/k-o/a_narmad.html. 21 February 2008.
  29. Friends of River Narmada. Retrieved 9 July 2007 The Sardar Sarovar Dam: a Brief Introduction
  30. Web site: 2022-07-10 . FIR against social activist Medha Patkar in Madhya Pradesh . 2022-11-17 . Hindustan Times . en . 17 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221117040447/https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/bhopal-news/fir-against-social-activist-medha-patkar-in-madhya-pradesh-101657472253674.html . live .
  31. Web site: 2017-09-17 . A short history of the Sardar Sarovar Dam on river Narmada . 2022-11-20 . The Indian Express . en . 19 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221019030049/https://indianexpress.com/article/research/a-short-history-of-the-sardar-sarovar-dam-on-river-narmada-4847807/ . live .
  32. Web site: BBC News — SOUTH ASIA — Go-ahead for India dam project. BBC. 8 March 2010. 25 March 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080325122209/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/978064.stm. live.
  33. News: 7000 villagers relocated after water level in Narmada dam crosses 130m. 25 August 2013. Express News Service. 25 August 2013. 31 August 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130831122417/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/7000-villagers-relocated-after-water-level-in-narmada-dam-crosses-130m/1159828/. live.
  34. News: NCA permits raising Narmada dam height after eight years. 12 June 2014. The Times of India. 12 June 2014. 12 June 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140612111411/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/NCA-permits-raising-Narmada-dam-height-after-eight-years/articleshow/36436408.cms. live.

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