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Narmada River Valley Development
| Article
# : |
18273 |
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Section : |
CULTURE
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| Issue
Date : |
10 / 1990 |
3,089 Words |
| Author
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Lalit Gambhir
Lalit Gambhir is a free-lance photojournalist affiliated with
The World & I Photo Agency. Based in New Delhi, he engaged in
field research in Manipur during September and October 1990. |
The Western Indian state of Gujarat is today recognized as one of the fastest-growing states in India. However, it is highly susceptible to drought and, consequently, famine. Therefore, the development of successful irrigation system has emerged as perhaps the state's highest priority.
Gujarat is bordered by Pakistan to the northwest, Rajasthan to the northeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, Maharashtra to the southeast, and the Arabian Sea to the west and south. The state has an area of 19,600 square kilometers and a population of thirty-six million. Of the total population, 31 percent is urbanized, and the industrial and trade sectors enjoy comparative prosperity. An additional 60 percent of the working population is engaged in agriculture, thereby contributing to 35 percent of the state's income. But without an adequate fresh water supply, the state's future remains somewhat precarious.
The greatest available natural resource is the Narmada River. From its mouth into the Gulf of Cambay, the Narmada is the largest westward-flowing river in central India. Narmada traverses 1,312 kilometers and has forty-one tributaries. With an annual average discharge of forty-two billion cubic meters, it has a catchment area of about 98,000 square kilometers. Dense forest - teak, sal (Shorea robusta, a local hardwood), and bamboo are its most prominent species - covers 32 percent of the Narmada basin.
Consequently, the state governments of Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat have planned to build two large dams - which are central to a much larger development plan comprising 30 major public works projects, 125 medium projects and over 3,000 minor projects covering the entire Narmada basin over the next forty to fifty years. This would be the world's largest irrigation project. If executed, it will affect the lives of about twelve to fifteen million people in the four states.
Controversy surrounding the project
The most controversial of the major projects is the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP). This is the terminal project on the river basin, located about 95 kilometers upstream from the Gulf of Cambay. About 37,000 hectares of land will be deliberately submerged, of which about 11,000 hectares are classified as forests. This is a dramatic environmental risk in a country where forest covers a meager 11 percent of the continent while desert spreads at the rate of 1.5 million hectares per
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