Narmada Bachao Andolan started in 1985. against the construction of huge dam on the Narmada river.Introduction It is the most powerful mass movement. . the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal was constituted by the Government of India on October 6. 1969 to adjudicate over the water disputes. The Narmada river which flows into the Arabian Sea after passing through the states of Madhya Pradesh Gujarat and Maharashtra. Due to inter-state differences in implementing schemes and sharing of water. were granted approval for construction including raising the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam. 135 medium. . and 3000 small dams. As per the Tribunal's decision. 30 major. Provide1.300 cubic meters of water per yr. Produce 550 megawatts of power. for municipal & Industrial purpose.the sardar sarovar dam will do the following: Provide safe drinking water to 30 million people.8 million hectares of land. The biggest water development project in India. According to government of India . Irrigate 4.Narmada Dam Project The first dam to be build is the Sadar Sarovar. . Donald Gamble a Canadian Environmentalist .Why did the World Bank withdraw loan? It was protest by NBA called satyagrah that caught the world bank attention.a british Anthropologist. They sent an independent review team headed by Huge Brody. . Provide valuable peak electric power in an area with high unmet power demand.Benefits Narmada has the potential to supply drinking water to the towns and cities of Gujarat. . to irrigate the dry parts of Gujarat. It will also provide flood protection. To raise agricultural growth rates to high levels over the next decade. Maharashtra. The largest of the dams under construction is the Sardar Sarovar. displacing more than half a million people and destroying some of Indias most fertile land. and Madhya Pradesh).000 hectares of forest and agricultural land.Problems It is one of the largest hydroelectric projects in the world and will displace approximately 1. will flood more than 37. The project will devastate human lives and biodiversity by inundating thousands of acres of forests and agricultural land.5 million people from their land in three states (Gujarat. if completed. . which. The thing about multipurpose dams like the Sardar Sarovar is that their purposes (irrigation. power production. and flood control) conflict with one another. . D. studies and focus entirely on the Narmada activity.In 1985. solidarity march among the neighboring states of the Narmada valley from Madhya Pradesh to the Sardar Sarovar dam site . after hearing about the Sardar Sarovar dam. Medha Patkar and her colleagues visited the project site and noticed the project work being shelved due to an order by the Ministry of Environment and Forests As Patkar remained immersed in the Narmada struggle. she organized a 36-day long. she chose to quit her Ph. all these groups joined this national coalition of environmental and human rights activists. Medha Patkar established Narmada Bachao Andolan in 1989. academics and projectaffected people with a non-violent approach The Morse Commission. scientists. conducted its first independent review of a World Bank project . appointed in June 1991 at the recommendation of The World Bank President Barber Coinable. This independent review stated that "performance under these projects has fallen short of what is called for under Bank policies and guidelines and the policies of the Government of India . Supreme Court's decision The court initially ruled the decision in the Andolan's favor thereby effecting an immediate stoppage of work at the dam and directing the concerned states to first complete the rehabilitation and replacement process . Others have argued that the Narmada Dam protesters are little more than environmental extremists who use pseudoscientific agitprop to scuttle the development of the region.Criticism the NBA supporters have indulged in physical attacks on local people who accepted compensation for moving. . and that the dam will provide agricultural benefits to millions of poor in India.