Sardar Sarovar Dam

Why in news?

• The Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam, called the ‘lifeline of Gujarat’, released about 1.3 Million Acre Feet (MAF) water for irrigation between April 1 and May 31.

About the Dam:

• The Sardar Sarovar Dam is a concrete gravity dam built on the Narmada river in Navagam near Kevadiya, Narmada District , Gujarat.
• Part of the Narmada valley project, Sardar Sarovar Dam (SSD) is the second largest concrete dam in the world in terms of the volume of concrete used in its construction, after the Grand Coulee dam across River Columbia, US.
• Four Indian states, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, are beneficiaries of the dam.
• The project will irrigate more than 18,000 km2 (6,900 sq mi), most of it in drought prone areas of Kutch and Saurashtra.
• The total installed capacity of the power facilities is 1,450 MW.

History:

• The foundation stone of the project was laid out by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on 5 April 1961.
• The project took form in 1979 as part of a development scheme funded by the World Bank, to increase irrigation and produce hydroelectricity, using a loan of US$200 million.
• The construction for dam begun 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 metres under directions from SC, which was later increased in 2006 to 123 metres and 139 metres in 2017.
• The dam was inaugurated in 2017 by Prime minister Narendra Modi.

Prelims Question:

Consider the following statements regarding Sardar Sarovar Dam:
1.It is built on river Narmada in the state of Gujarat.
2.The waters of the dam is used solely for irrigation of arid areas in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Choose the correct statements from the codes given below:
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to Prelims question