Damming waters and wisdom: protest in the Narmada River Valley

Abstract

The science, technology, and wisdom of building large dams seem to be deemed unfashionable in the developed world. Developing countries like China and India, however, continue to believe that large dams are rational and legitimate development solutions. The Sardar Sarovar, across the river Narmada, is one such large dam which the Indian government has been building since the early 1960s. The past two decades have, however, spawned a unique, people-based, and non-violent protest against the Sardar Sarovar dam led by the Narmada Bachao Andolan. This paper documents the history of the Narmada Bachao Andolan and the flawed rationale behind the building of Sardar Sarovar.