The Narmada River flows for more than 1,300 km (808 miles) and crosses three different Indian States (Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat) before flowing into the gulf of Khambhat (Bharuch), north of Mumbai. Since the mid 1980s, the 25 million people living in the river valley strongly opposed the construction of a huge system of dams, including three large structures: the Sardar Sarovar, Indira Sagar and Maheshwar dams. Local citizens formed the Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save the Narmada Movement), a grass root coalition of farmers, fisherfolks, landless farmers and also urban citizens in India, strongly opposed to the projects and political agenda on water and energy of the Governments of the three Indian States. |
An overview on dams construction along the Narmada river in India and the 30 year long struggle of the Narmada Bachao Andolan Narmada for life in the river valley and for livelihood of local communities
Description:
Basic Data
| Name of conflict: | Dams construction on the Narmada River, India |
| Country: | India |
| State or province: | Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat |
| Location of conflict: | Multisituated |
| Accuracy of location | MEDIUM (Regional level) |
Source of Conflict
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Water Management |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Water access rights and entitlements Deforestation Land acquisition conflicts Interbasin water transfers/transboundary water conflicts Dams and water distribution conflicts |
| Specific commodities: | Land Water Electricity |
Project Details and Actors
| Project details | The project is composed of 3,000 small, 135 medium and 30 large dams. Out of them, the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP), the Indira Sagar Project (ISP) and the Maheshwar Dam are mega dams. The first is 138 meters high and generating an electrical capacity of 1,450 MW, would irrigate more than 1.8 million hectares.The third one should provide 400 MW of energy. |
| Level of Investment for the conflictive project | 450 million USD only from WB to SSD |
| Type of population | Rural |
| Affected Population: | 25000000 |
| Start of the conflict: | 1985 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | Shree Maheshwar Hydro-Electric Power Corporation Ltd (SMHPC) from India Siemens from Germany PacGen Bayernwerk from Germany VEW Energie from Germany Ogden Corporation from United States of America |
| Relevant government actors: | Supreme Court of India, NWDTA - India, Relief and Rehabilitation Subgroup of the Narmada Control Authority, Madhya Pradesh Government, NHDC - India, High Court Of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra Government, Gujarat Government |
| International and Finance Institutions | The World Bank (WB) from United States of America Power Finance Corporation (PFC) from India Hermes Corporación financiera Internacional (CFI) |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | National Alliance of People's Movement - India, International Rivers, Save the Narmada Movement (Narmada Bachao Andolan, NBA) |
Conflict & Mobilization
| Intensity | HIGH (widespread, mass mobilization, violence, arrests, etc...) |
| Reaction stage | PREVENTIVE resistance (precautionary phase) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Farmers Indigenous groups or traditional communities International ejos Local ejos Landless peasants Neighbours/citizens/communities Social movements Women Ethnically/racially discriminated groups Religious groups Fisher people |
| Forms of mobilization: | Blockades Community-based participative research (popular epidemiology studies, etc..) Creation of alternative reports/knowledge Development of a network/collective action Involvement of national and international NGOs Land occupation Lawsuits, court cases, judicial activism Official complaint letters and petitions Public campaigns Street protest/marches Hunger strikes and self immolation A very broad movement in India. One of the leaders,Medha Patkar, became well know and influential beyond the Narmada Bachao Andolan. Self Immolation in neck deep waters (Jal Satyagraha) for days long portests. |
Impacts
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Floods (river, coastal, mudflow), Food insecurity (crop damage), Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Soil erosion, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality, Groundwater pollution or depletion, Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems, Reduced ecological / hydrological connectivity Potential: Global warming |
| Health Impacts | Visible: Accidents, Malnutrition, Mental problems including stress, depression and suicide, Violence related health impacts (homicides, rape, etc..), Health problems related to alcoholism, prostitution, Deaths |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Increase in Corruption/Co-optation of different actors, Displacement, Increase in violence and crime, Lack of work security, labour absenteeism, firings, unemployment, Loss of livelihood, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Militarization and increased police presence, Social problems (alcoholism, prostitution, etc..), Specific impacts on women, Violations of human rights, Land dispossession, Loss of landscape/sense of place |
Outcome
| Project Status | In operation |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Compensation Corruption Court decision (victory for environmental justice) Migration/displacement |
| Proposal and development of alternatives: | If the principle land for land as per the Indian law cannot be fulfilled, opposition movements ask for the scrap of the dam projects, and the cancellation of any displacement scheme. |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | No |
| Briefly explain: | The project started despite the local residents opposition, and it is still planned to built other dams, but during all this time the Court has decided to replace the displaced families in cultivable territories, and to investigate the violence and bribery the residents had suffered. |
Sources & Materials
| Juridical relevant texts related to the conflict (laws, legislations, EIAs, etc) |
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| References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
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| Related media links to videos, campaigns, social network |
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| Other comments: | All dams have their own particular stories to be told. This is an effort to describe the overall issue. |
Meta information
| Contributor: | Lucie Greyl |
| Last update | 18/08/2019 |
| Conflict ID: | 497 |
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