The Narmada Dam Project is a project concerning the construction of a chain of large hydroelectric dams on the Narmada River in India. The country`s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru planned this project during the 1940s. The project started officially in 1979 as part of a development scheme to enhance the facilities of irrigation and also produce hydroelectricity.
Among the 30 large dams planned on river Narmada, Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) is the largest and probably the first multipurpose project involved in the construction. A height of 136.5 metre was decided initially for the Sardar Sarovar Project, it`s also high on discord between the planners and the Narmada Bachao Andolan. The multi-purpose project will irrigate more than 18,000 square kilometres in most of the regions of Madhya Pradesh, especially in the drought prone areas like Kutch and Saurashtra.
The Narmada Dam Project brought about several benefits that are mentioned in the Judgement of Supreme Court of India. The benefits expected to generate from the implementation of the Sardar Sarovar Project. The expected benefits of the dam include irrigation capacity across 17,920 km² of land spread over 12 districts, 62 talukas and 3393 villages (75% of which is drought-stricken areas) in Gujarat and 730 km² in the dry areas of Barmer and Jalore districts of Rajasthan.
In March 2006, the Narmada Control Authority approved for the height of the dam to increase from 110.64 metres to 121.92. Narmada Bachao Andolan was closely associated with the Narmada Dam Project.
