Post 2nd World War 20th Century is marked by end of colonial era. Countries - small and big, after attaining political freedom, embarked on ambitious programme of economic development. The twin problem of under employment and poverty has been the most difficult challenge they have been facing. They are no doubt endowed with diverse natural resources, which have remained unharnessed. Burgeoning population has thrown up army of unemployed young people who are asset if gainfully used, but an explosive liability if kept idle. The crucial task for the planners and leaders of these countries is to channelise the unharnessed natural resources - land, water, minerals, forests, sea wealth and so on and the idle manpower so as to transform them into productive wealth for the people.

Arable land and fresh water are two important resources of India. India's arable land area is 30% more than that of China which is as such three times India in size - geographically. India's surface water estimated at 1952 BCM is about two-third that of China. India's northern region makes up the World's largest alluvial plane and the soils rank among the most fertile in the World.
And yet India remains poor and underfed : Then, what is the handicap? It is two-fold - first our arable land is spread out stretching from Kachchh to Brahmaputra valley and from Deccan trap to planes of Punjab, while bulk of surface water sources are concentrated in about a dozen river basins; second, 80 to 90% of surface water is available only in monsoon months, and flows down the sea if not impounded. Therefore neither water nor land is utilised optimally, depriving the country of their full benefits.
The Sardar Sarovar Project, or any other large water resources project for that matter, has to be viewed in this national perspective.

In course of 50 years of planned economic development of our country, we have taken tremendous strides in agriculture sector. Our country which had to depend upon imports to feed even a population of 350 millions (35 crores) when we became independent, has attained a position of self sufficiency with some exportable surplus even with a population of over 1 billion (102 crores). This has been made possible by harnessing waters of major rivers of our country with a chain of large multipurpose projects starting from Bhakhara Nangal, Hirakud, Nagarjuna Sagar, Tungabhadra etc. India's population continues to grow notwithstanding our all out efforts on family planning front. Various studies indicate that country's population might cross 120 crores by 2020 A.D. Thus we shall have additional 200 million (20 crores) people to be accommodated in our production basket of food grains, sugar, cotton, edible oil and so on. This can be possible only by creating more Bhakhara Nangals and more Hirakuds. Harnessing entire water resources of the country is the only way to sustain our self-sufficiency in basic requirement of food and clothing. Other countries of the World have also done the same. And the faster we go on this path better assured we shall be on the food security and keeping poverty and hunger at bay, improving the quality of life and providing electricity to light the rural homes and energise wheels of Cottage Industries.

Availability of energy - another core requirement of economic development and also a universal input for better living - can be a serious handicap in raising the standard of living in a country like India which is rather poorly endowed in fossil fuel reserves. Even at its present low level of consumption (per capita electricity consumed in India is 430 Kwh as compared to 12300 in USA. Even China is much ahead with 720 units per capita) India has to import more than two-third of its petroleum requirement. And while our coal reserves are large their high sulfur content and lower thermal value pose problem of pollution and inefficient power generation. Import of thermal coal from South Africa and other overseas sources has been steadily rising - which can again act as a constraint on sustaining growth of thermal energy. Harnessing hydropower potential of our major rivers is therefore the only sustainable solution to our energy problem.
Hydropower is environment friendly and relatively cheaper energy. It does not involve import of petroleum fuel and hence spares our country from the burden of foreign exchange outflow. It also reduces our dependence and vulnerability to petroleum exporting countries. During 1950s and 1960s the share of hydro power in the total installed capacity of electricity generation could be raised from 32% to 47% due to construction of large dams in our country. Unfortunately, in the subsequent years, progress of large dams has been delayed and after 1967-68 the share of hydropower has been declining and to day it is only about 26-26%. As compared to that there are many countries in the world like Canada, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden where the share of hydro power is more than 60% and the agriculture and industries of those countries are enjoying the benefit of cheaper energy. It is in our country's interest to maximise hydropower generation, which is truly renewable, and indigenous source of energy. The Narmada Project assumes a special national importance in this perspective.

A matter of equal concern is the sufferings of millions of people residing in water deficit areas. The womenfolk have to walk long distance for minimum requirement of water for drinking and domestic use. This impairs their productive capacity and health. In many of these regions they are forced to use salinity affected, fluoride affected and nitrite affected water. There is also human distress in terms of poverty, unemployment and migration on account of non-availability of minimum water supply. Water deficiency also aggravates environmental degradation, ingress of salinity and lack of green cover. As has been done in USA, Israel and elsewhere, there is no option but to transfer water as a basic necessity of life from surplus to deficit areas. Such a transfer can be made only by techno-economically feasible large dams and transmission system of canals. The Narmada Project is just this.

The mean annual flow of Narmada River is more than combined flow of Ravi, Beas and Satlaj rivers. These three Punjab rivers have not only taken Punjab and Haryana and North Rajasthan on the path of green revolution, but have provided a granary to the nation. Narmada river has potential of transforming Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and southern part of Rajasthan in the same way. It is imperative for the nation to make best use of this water. SSP aims to meet this imperative.

Every development project has its cost. While economic cost/benefit analysis is being traditionally done, there is a greater emphasis these days on human and environment cost. During the hey days of Industrial and Technological revolutions, the mills of economic development of western world ground fast and fine, not caring either for human rights or for ecological consequences. With accumulation of wealth and affluence, finer sentiments of human rights and environment are now surfacing. And what is good for G-7 has to be good for the rest of the World! So our urbanite elite have also adopted human and environmental issues as the State of the Art evaluation angle.
This is not to say that human and environment aspects should be overlooked. They must be examined. But not only cost but also benefits. And not only cost of implementing a project, but the cost of not implementing it! This is because, for countries of Asia and Africa, where basic amenities of life such as healthy drinking water, minimum food, fuel and lighting are yet a far cry for large sections of population, the cost of non-implementation of a project can be perpetuating these miseries! How can we ignore it!
For instance, miseries of water starved regions, even in normal years, and aggravated in drought years have to be weighed again the trauma of displacement of families which will have to move out. Similarly the degradation of environment and onslaught on ecology of arid regions due to advancement of desert, salinity ingress, loss of green cover and biotic life etc. have to be considered against the disturbance in ecology and environment of submerging areas.
To comprehend the human miseries and the human cost of not constructing the dam, we have to recall the three consecutive years of drought 1985-86-87, which wrecked havoc on economy and rural life of Saurashtra - Kachchh and North Gujarat. Farmers - large and small including their women folk had to work on scarcity relief works opened by the Government to sustain their livelihood. A number of labourers on relief works ( in Saurashtra - Kachchh, Mehsana and Banaskantha districts) in April - May months of these years, ranged from 8.64 lakhs to 14.61 lakhs. Water Specials (Trains) had to be run to sustain bare minimum drinking water supply!
Even in a normal year, drinking water problem becomes acute in large towns also, not to talk of villages. Supply of domestic water only once in 3 or 4 days is a very common phenomenon in summer in many towns of Saurashtra.
50, out of 62 talukas of Gujarat, to benefit from Narmada irrigation suffer from fundamental resource backwardness - partially or wholly - like drought proneness (36), desert (8), tribal talukas (5), tribal pockets (2), coastal areas (8), basic backwardness (10), economically backward (10), industrially backward (40) and geographically backward (13). For these fundamentally backward 50 talukas, Narmada Project is the only hope for productive employment generation and upgrading standard of living.

Suggestions like water harnessing, small dams, watershed development etc. often flaunted by anti dam activists which may look deceptively simple, become totally irrelevant and grossly inadequate to meet such situations and for such arid areas for which transfer of water from surplus regions can only provide a real and lasting remedy. Sardar Sarovar Project is essentially a vehicle for taking plentiful waters of Narmada basin which are to-day flowing down the sea, to the water starved regions of Saurashtra, Kachchh, North Gujarat and Rajasthan. It can be compared with transfer of water from Central USA to the arid areas of West USA.
Such water transfer also enables optimum use of arable land and water when they are apart from each other. While land can not be transferred, water can be flown to distant places. Otherwise land one side and water away at other place, both remain unused, unproductive. And if in face of hunger and poverty, water and land are allowed to remain separated and unused, it can be regarded as a crime against humanity! The core issue of development in a country is to manage its natural resources. And as Development Economists often say, a country is poor, not because it does not have resources, but because it does not have either will or ability to manage its resources.
In Sardar Sarovar Project we have undertaken this task of managing our water resources for National interest - our food security, energy security and upgrading the quality of life - including that of people who would be required to shift from submergence areas. It is a national project in the true sence.

It is intended to present the factual details and basic data relating to the project, also highlighting its multidimensional contribution to welfare of the people of the participating States - e.g. Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan and to the national economy.
Like many other projects of developing countries from Aswan of Egypt to the Lesotho Highlands water scheme of South Africa and Tehri in India, Sardar Sarovar Project has also become a focus of a concerted international anti dam campaign, carried out by its local loyal supporters, resorting to disinformation intended to create confusion in public mind. As has happened in the case of Aswan Dam in Egypt, time will vindicate the wisdom of planners and leaders who have helped in pushing ahead with this project with determination and commitment.