Protesters vow to drown selves in Narmada waters

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat on Sunday, thousands of protesters in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh carried on out a 'Jal Satyagraha' - a protest standing barefoot in water (See: Modi inaugurates Narmada dam: 'I can't do small things')

The protesters, led by Narmada Bachao Aandolan founder Medha Patkar, say that the water from the dam is likely to affect 40,000 families who might have to leave their homes that will be submerged.

Protesters against the project claim there are several villages that have not been taken into account for rehabilitation. There were no surveys done in these affected villages, which have been ignored for the compensation scheme. They now pledge to protest to death.

Activists have been long demanding that the filling of the dam's reservoir with water be stopped immediately and the its gates remain open so as to reduce the water level.

As water level exceeded the 128-metre mark on 15 September Patkar along with 37 others started the 'Jal Satyagraha' in Chhota Barda village in Anjad tehsil of Barwani, about 300 km from Bhopal, where the water level is steadily rising.

The protesters sat in the Narmada waters, vowing to take 'Jal Samadhi' (death by drowning) if their demands were not met.

District officials, police and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are on high alert in Dhar and Barwani.

Patkar is demanding that the families be rehabilitated or paid compensation. She said this has not happened despite an order from the Supreme Court. Describing the development as "unfortunate", she demanded that the water supply in the dam be stopped till the rehabilitation is completed.

''Medhaji and 37 others continued their protest on Sunday,'' said NBA activist Himshi Singh from Chhota Barda. She added that there was no significant rise in water level on Sunday when the dam was inaugurated and water was released.

''The water level has been hovering at the 129.5-metre mark over the past few days,'' said Singh. She added that the principal secretary of the Narmada Valley Development Corporation had informed them that the water level would be around 130 metres by Sunday.

The NBA worker, however, claimed that there was water inside houses, public structures and farms in areas including Nisarpur, Rajghat and Chikhalda over the past few days.

The Sardar Sarovar Dam project has been caught in controversies ever since its foundation stone was laid.

It was the NBA that had managed to stall the project in 1996, alleging breach of environmental norms in a petition submitted to the Supreme Court.

After a prolonged legal wrangle, the SC allowed that the dam's construction again in 2000, while adding several riders of compensation and rehabilitation. The court also ordered the establishment of a Grievance Redressal Authority (GRA).