NBA is a widespread Indian campaign led by indigenous communities, peasants, conservationists, and civil rights activists that opposes the construction of a series of massive structures throughout the Narmada River as a component of the Narmada Dam Programme. The Narmada River flows through Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
The Sardar Sarovar Dam(SSD) in Gujarat is among the largest reservoirs on the Narmada River and is a focal point of the Narmada Bachao Andolan. SSD is a component of the Narmada Dam Project, which intends to provide irrigation and energy to the inhabitants of the states above.
How did the Narmada Bachao Andolan get started?
The Narmada Bachao Andolan is the greatest powerful mass campaign opposing the development of a massive dam on the Narmada river, which began in 1985. The Narmada Dam Project called for the construction of approximately 3000 large and minor dams along the river. Over 200000 people were expected to be displaced by the projected Narmada Sagar and Sardar Sarovar Dam. The Save the Narmada Movement’s primary battle revolved around these people’s relocation or social reintegration.
Important Points of the Narmada Bachao Andolan
- Following independence, the country’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, advocated for establishing dams on the Narmada River, which flows through Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat states, to stop surplus water from pouring into the Arabian Sea and benefit local people and development of the country.
- Narmada Sagar and Sardar Sarovar were two of the most significant projected dams.
- The Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal authorised the Narmada Valley Development Project, which involved the construction of 30 big dams, 135 standard-size dams, and 3,000 minor dams, as well as the elevation of the Sardar Sarovar project.
- Subsequently, Medha Patkar and her associates toured the Narmada Dam Project premises in the year 1985 after learning about it. They found that project development was being monitored owing to an order from the Ministry of Environment of the Indian government.
- Construction on the Sardar Sarovar Dam began in 1987, and the individuals impacted by the dam’s development were given little knowledge other than a promise of rehabilitation.
- In May 1990, the Narmada Bachao Andolan staged a 2,000 Individuals, five days sit-in outside Prime Minister V. P. Singh’s house in New Delhi, convincing him to reconsider the project.
- Roughly 7000 men and women launched the Narmada Jan Vikas Sangharsh Yatra in December 1990, travelling over 100 kilometres.
- Baba Amte and the seven-member crew launched a prolonged hunger strike (22 days) and a sit-in till their death in January 1991.
- The building of the Sardar Sarovar Dam resumed in 1999 and was completed in 2006. The project’s height was enhanced from 138 to 163 metres. PM Narendra Modi commissioned it in 2017.
Narmada Bachao Andolan’s Achievements
- Narmada Bachao Andolan was awarded the ‘Right Livelihood Award’ for its ongoing nonviolent battle to deliver justice to society.
- Property for the Affected, nationwide rehabilitation policy, and development strategies without displacement have all become national concerns due to NBA actions, affecting policymakers and public movements.
- NBA has succeeded in its many legislative, judicial, and executive initiatives, lobbying against the devastation and dislocation caused by major dams and advocating for the rights of those impacted – farmers, labourers, fishers, and others.
Among the movement’s accomplishments
- The World Bank’s withdrawal from Sardar Sarovar in the year 1993
- Between 1994 and 1999, work on the Sardar Sarovar Project was suspended.
- Foreign investors withdraw from Maheshwar
