Water floods Narmada valley; People start vacating their houses

The moment they had been dreading for the last three decades has finally arrived. Narmada water has started inundating villages in Sardar Sarovar Dam Project (SSP)

Published on: Sep 15, 2017, 23:16:54 IST

Hindustan Times | By Neeraj Santoshi, Bhopal

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

The moment they had been dreading for the last three decades has finally arrived. Narmada water has started inundating villages in Sardar Sarovar Dam Project (SSP) submergence, forcing affected people to start vacating their homes.

Incessant rain and water management in the reservoirs, the water level has crossed the danger mark of 123.2m in Barwani. (HT Photo)

Due to incessant rainfall in the catchment of Narmada over the past few weeks and water management in the reservoirs on Narmada, the water level has crossed much beyond the danger mark of 123.2 metres at Rajghat in Barwani district.

The water level, which was 123.6m on August 30, has now reached 128.5m. This has led to inundation of water into the farms and inhabited areas closer to the Narmada banks, especially in Dhar district. The swelled waters have submerged Nisarpur (Dhar) and Rajghat (Barwani) bridges that act as boundary between the two districts.

Local sources said that many affected families in Dhar’s Nisarpur, Dharmrai , Kasrana and Chikhalda have started vacating their houses, relocating to safer places, ferrying their belongings in tractors, autos and other vehicles. Many others are still waiting, hoping the water may recede.

Well ahead of the prime minister’s inauguration of SSP gates on September 17, the authorities had closed its sluice gates on June 17, paving way for rise in water level in the 214 km stretch upstream of Narmada. Following closure of the gates, the height of the dam was increased to 138m from the earlier 121.92m.

District officials, police and NDRF are on high alert in Dhar and Barwani, keeping a tab on the developments and making appeals to project affected people to vacate their homes in time.

Rajneesh Vaish, vice-chairman, Narmada Valley Development Authority, said water level is decided by the Narmada Control Authority. “In the next few days, the NCA’s requirement is to have a water level of 130m. So water will further rise,” he said.

(With inputs from Chotu Shastri from Dhar district)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

Follow India news real-time updates and the latest news covered on Hindustan Times, featuring today's critical updates on Sonam Wangchuk Hunger Strike LIVE and more across India.