The Narmada Bachao Andolan movement was started in 1985 to challenge the improper resettlement and rehabilitation policy for villagers affected by the construction of big dams along the Narmada River in India. It was triggered by the Sardar Sarovar Dam project in Gujarat which would submerge thousands of hectares of land and force over 40,000 families to leave their homes. The movement was led by social activist Medha Patkar and aimed to raise awareness about the issues of rehabilitation and protect the rights of those displaced.

2. • Indiais aland of rivers.
• One such river is Narmada
flows through the states of
MadhyaPradesh and Gujarat.
• Narmadais considered the
lifeline of these two states.
• NarmadaB achao Andolan or
save Narmadamovement
started against aseries of
dam projects across the river.
IN TROD U CTION

3. W HY W AS
NARM AD A
BACHAO
AN D OL AN
STARTE D ?
During initial days this movement was known
as Narmada Dharangrast Samiti.
Narmada Bachao Andolan was started in 1985
to challenge the improper resettlement and
rehabilitation policy for lakhs of poor village
dwellers.
People were threatened by the submergence
due to the construction of big dams along the
Narmada river.

5. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE
MOVEMENT
• The construction of Sardar sarovar dam in
Gujarat was the triggering ponit when the
moment actually took off.
• The main reason for the evolution of this
movement is the height of
Sardar sarovar dam which has submerged
thousands of hectares of forest land.
• After the construction of the dam in
Madhya Pradesh alone,192 villages were
submerged and more than 40 thousand
families were forced to leave the homes.

7. W HO STARTE D N ARM AD A
B ACHAO AND OL AN ?
• The legal battle started in 1985
when social activist "M edha
Patkar " filed Public Interest
Ligation (PIL) in the supreme court
of Indiaagainst the project.
• Raising the issues of improper
rehabilitation and resettlement of
ousted people.
• NarmadaB achao Andolan received
the Right Livelihood Award.
• The celebrities like B abaAmte,
Arundhati Roy and Aamir Khan
have also supported the movement.

9. W ORL D BANK 'S ROL E:
SU PPORT AND
W ITHD RAW AL
• The World B ank announced its
support for the project, and
sanctioned aloan to the state
governments for multiple
construction projects in 1985.
• In 1989, the bank was
compelled to set an independent
review and other activists
testified on the B ank’s role in
Washington D .C .
• The Indian Government
eventually canceled the loan
sanctioned by the World B ank
on 31 March 1993.

11. COM PL ETION OF THE SARD AR SAROV AR D AM
• The project was a vision of the first deputy Prime Minister of India Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
and the foundation stone was laid by Jawaharlal Nehru.
• The project took form in 1979 as part of a development scheme to increase irrigation and
produce hydroelectricity.
• 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 .

12. • In 2014, after the Narendra
Modi became the prime
minister of India, the
Government of India granted
permission to raise the height
of the Sardar Sarovar Dam to
its maximum.
• And the dam was finally
completed in 2018 which
supporters of the dam hailed
its completion as their victory.

17. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:
Implementing the decisions
Creation of a government authority
Coordinating activities of different agencies
Enacting regular laws
Imposing punishments and penalities
Engaging in the sustainable development of the environment
Attaining protection of the right to life under Article 21 of the constitution

19. M AIN PROVISIONS:
• Coordinate and execute nationwide programes.
• Mandate environmental quality standards.
• Can impose restrictions.
• Power of entry for examination, testing of equipment.
• Provision for handling hazardous substances.
• File acomplaint in acourt.

20. Sources and causes for the pollution
• Combustion
• Construction
• Mining
• Agriculture
• Chemical plants
• Coal-fired power plants
• Oil refineries ,Petrochemical plants, Nuclear waste
• Large livestock farms (dairy cows, pigs, poultry, etc.)
• PVC factories
• Plastics factories and other heavy industry are increasingly significant in the pollution equation.

21. • Carbon dioxide is always released when hydrocarbons are burned. Itis a
leading cause of global climate change and the acidification of oceans.
Although carbon dioxide is agreenhouse gas that helps to keep us warm,
too much greenhouse gas could result in global warming.