Narmada Dam Height To be Raised By 17 Metres

India’s most controversial dam project, Sardar Sarovar Dam, popularly known as Narmada dam, got the approval after a wait of eight years, to raise the height of dam from 121.92 Metres to 138.72 Metres. The far-reaching decision announced by Narmada control authority (NCA), chaired by Water Resources Secretary MR. Alok Rawat.

The decision was taken after an emergency meeting of the ministries concerned and the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Narmada water disputes tribunal was constituted in 1969 to adjudicate on sharing of Narmada between Gujarat, M.P and Maharashtra. Tribunal assed water dependability in Narmada as 25 million acre-feet (MAF). The decision was welcomed by the farmers and industrialists as the increased water availability will benefit the Irrigation, Drinking and Power generation. It was hailed as victory brought by the Drought prone state. A higher dam will optimise hydro power generation and water supply capacity of this project, and is expected to benefit not just Gujarat but also neighbouring Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

The largest share for drinking water and irrigation will go to Gujarat, whereas other beneficiary states stand to gain power. The Increase in height will enhance the water storage capacity of the dam by four times, from 1 million acre-feet to 4 million acre-feet (MAF).

Under the Narmada tribunal’s award, 9 MAF of water is available to Gujarat from Narmada, of which 7.5, 1 and 0.22 MAF are for Irrigation, Drinking purpose and Industry, respectively.in Gujarat as well as the rest of India, nearly 50% of the industries is dependent on water. Water directly influences the industry. The pharmaceutical and textile industries, which are the mainstay of industrial activity in Gujarat, are hugely dependent on water. The Pharma-industry also needs mineral water. Besides, the manufacturing sector and food processing industry, based on agro products, also require large quantities of water.

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