Sardar Sarovar Dam

Highlights

• The Sardar Sarovar Dam is a concrete gravity dam built on the Narmada River near the town of Kevadia, 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.
• The construction of the dam began 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 the Supreme Court, which was later increased to 123 meters in 2006, and 139 meters in 2017.

Religious Significance

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.

Dress Code

Modest, respectful clothing is expected at this site.

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.
• •His government carried out a thorough survey to study the usage of the Narmada River, which flows through the states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat to the Arabian Sea.
• •As the river was shared between the three states (Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh) there were disputes regarding the sharing of water and other important resources.

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