GANGA 55th Issue | Page 7

on Narmada with some of the special partial irrigation and water supply needs. features of the project whicht are the Further construction is in process. following :- This dam is the focal point of both the dam- The spillway discharging capacity at 87000 builders and the Narmada Bachao Andolan's Cum/Sec is the 3rd highest in the world. opposition. The Govt claimed that the multi- With 1133 m3/Sec capacity of Head purpose Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) would Regulator and 532 KM length with 75000 irrigate more than 1.8 million hectares KM length of distribution system including (mostly in Gujarat, some in Rajasthan) and field channel, the Narmada main canal is the quench the thirst of the drought prone areas largest irrigation canal in the world. of Kutch and Saurashtra in Gujarat. The 3 The project aims at supplying 3571 m /day opponents of the dam counter that these of drinking water to 8215 villages and 135 benefits are grossly exaggerated and the towns in Gujarat, which are suffering from benefit cannot reach to the extent suggested acute shortage of water. The project also by the Govt. They have shown that the aims to provide drinking water facilities to a project would displace more than 320,000 population of about 13,71,000 at 1107 people and affect the livelihood of thousands villages and two towns in Jalore district and of Barmer district of Rajasthan. displacements by the canal system and other others. Overall, due to related allied projects, at least 1 million people are All the six units of River Bed Power House expected to be affected if the project is have been commissioned successfully by completed. June, 2006 and are in operation. All five The submergence area is broadly divided in units of Canal Head Power House have been two areas, viz. (1) Fully tribal area and (2) commissioned successfully by December, Submergence area with mixed population 2004 and are in operation. area on the Nimad plains, with a very welldeveloped economy that is well-connected The main Irrigation Canal has been substantially constructed for a length of 357 km. Water has been let into the canal for 7 Integrated River Basin Management Society to the main stream.