The Sardar Sarovar Dam Explained

The Sardar Sarovar Dam is a large concrete gravity dam on the Narmada River at Navagam in the Narmada district of Gujarat, built to supply irrigation water, drinking water and hydropower to Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. It is the largest of the many dams planned under the Narmada Valley Development scheme, and it is named after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister.

The Sardar Sarovar Dam is also one of the most debated infrastructure projects in India. Its supporters stress the water and power it provides to arid regions of Gujarat and Rajasthan, while its critics, led for decades by the Narmada Bachao Andolan, have raised concerns about the displacement of communities and effects on the river. The matter went through the Supreme Court of India for many years. This explainer describes the dam, its benefits and the long controversy in a neutral way. Figures are rounded and widely reported, and they should be treated as approximate.

Quick Facts

Key Takeaways

• The Sardar Sarovar Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Narmada River in Gujarat, about 163 m high from its deepest foundation, with a full reservoir level of 138.68 m.
• The Sardar Sarovar Dam supplies irrigation and drinking water to Gujarat and Rajasthan and shares hydropower with Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
• The Sardar Sarovar Dam follows the 1979 award of the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal, which allocated the river’s waters among four states.
• The Sardar Sarovar Dam was opposed for decades by the Narmada Bachao Andolan over displacement and environmental concerns, and the Supreme Court of India allowed construction to proceed in stages with conditions.
• The Sardar Sarovar Dam reached its full height after the gates were installed and the dam was inaugurated in September 2017.
• The Sardar Sarovar Dam stands near the Statue of Unity, which is a separate monument and tourist attraction on the Narmada.

What is the Sardar Sarovar Dam?

The Sardar Sarovar Dam is a multipurpose concrete gravity dam on the lower Narmada that stores water for irrigation, drinking water supply and electricity generation, and it is the main structure of the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP). It is part of a larger plan to develop the Narmada basin with thirty major dams and hundreds of smaller works, among which Sardar Sarovar and Indira Sagar (in Madhya Pradesh) are the two largest.

The dam is called a gravity dam because its great weight, made of concrete, holds back the water. It creates a long, narrow reservoir that extends upstream into Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. A network of canals, including the Narmada Main Canal, carries the water across Gujarat and into Rajasthan.

The idea of damming the Narmada at this location goes back to the 1940s and 1950s, and the project was shaped by inter-state agreements, tribunal rulings and court decisions over several decades.

Where is the Sardar Sarovar Dam located?

The Sardar Sarovar Dam is located on the Narmada River at Navagam in Narmada district of eastern Gujarat, near the town of Kevadia, which has been renamed Ekta Nagar. The site is in a gorge close to the point where the river leaves the hills and enters the plains of Gujarat on its way to the Gulf of Khambhat.

The river itself rises at Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh and flows westward across Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat before reaching the Arabian Sea. It is one of the few major Indian rivers flowing west through a rift valley. The geography has two consequences.

• Water for the west: flows that would otherwise reach the sea can be diverted to dry regions of Saurashtra, Kutch and north Gujarat.
• Upstream impact: the reservoir backwaters extend into neighbouring states, which is why those states are part of the resettlement and power-sharing arrangements.

The Statue of Unity, a monument to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel standing about 182 m tall, is located on an islet a few kilometres downstream of the dam and has made the area a major tourist destination.

How tall is the Sardar Sarovar Dam and how was it built?

The Sardar Sarovar Dam is about 163 m tall measured from its deepest foundation, with a full reservoir level of 138.68 m above mean sea level, and it is built of massive concrete blocks in the gravity design. The crest is roughly 1.2 km long.

The structure was raised in stages over many years, mainly because of legal and regulatory conditions. The height was increased step by step, and each stage needed approval from the Narmada Control Authority (NCA), which linked further raising of the dam to progress in rehabilitation of affected families. Construction reached the full design height after large radial gates were installed on the spillway, which allowed the reservoir to fill to its design level.

Reported heights, storage and dimensions vary with the reference level used, so the numbers above are rounded.

Who shares the water and power from the Sardar Sarovar Dam?

The water and power of the Sardar Sarovar Project are shared among four states under the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal Award of 1979, with Madhya Pradesh receiving the largest share of the water and also most of the power. The Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal (NWDT) was constituted in 1969 to settle disputes among Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, and it gave its final award in 1979.

The tribunal divided the usable water of the river, estimated at about 28 million acre-feet at 75 per cent dependability, among the states approximately as follows.

Gujarat uses its water mainly for irrigation and drinking supply, and it also supplies part of its water to Rajasthan through the canal system. Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra receive electricity because their land is submerged by the reservoir. The Narmada Control Authority supervises the implementation of the award, and the exact allocation in practice can vary with annual rainfall.

What does the Sardar Sarovar Dam provide to Gujarat and Rajasthan?

The Sardar Sarovar Dam provides irrigation water, drinking water and electricity, with the canal system designed to serve large dry regions of Gujarat and a part of western Rajasthan. The project was driven mainly by the water scarcity of north Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch, regions which depend on unreliable rainfall.

The planned benefits are listed below.

• Irrigation: a command area of about 1.8 million hectares in Gujarat, spread over many districts, along with a smaller area in Rajasthan.
• Drinking water: supply to thousands of villages and many towns through pipelines linked to the main canal.
• Hydropower: two powerhouses, the River Bed Power House and the Canal Head Power House.
• Flood moderation: storage reduces the impact of floods in the lower Narmada valley.
• Industrial water: some water is available for industry in the corridor.

The Narmada Main Canal is about 458 km long and is regularly described as one of the longest irrigation canals in the world. It runs across Gujarat toward Rajasthan, supported by branch canals and distribution networks. Actual irrigated areas have grown over time and depend on the completion of distribution channels and on water availability in a given year.

What is the Narmada Bachao Andolan?

The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA), meaning the Save the Narmada Movement, is a social movement formed in the mid-1980s that opposed the Sardar Sarovar Project and other large dams on the river, mainly on grounds of displacement and environmental impact. It was led by activists including Medha Patkar and drew support from people such as the writer Arundhati Roy and Baba Amte.

The movement’s core demands changed over time. Early on it called for a halt to the dam, and later its focus included proper rehabilitation and a review of the project’s costs and benefits. It used methods including marches, hunger strikes, public meetings and court petitions, and it attracted national and international attention.

Main concerns raised

• Displacement: the reservoir would submerge land and villages in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat, including homes of tribal (Adivasi) communities.
• Adequacy of rehabilitation: whether land-for-land compensation and resettlement sites were fully provided.
• Environmental effects: impacts on the river, forests, fish and downstream flow.
• Cost-benefit questions: whether the water and power would reach the intended users.

The government’s position

Governments of Gujarat and the Union government argued that the project would bring water to some of the driest parts of India, that rehabilitation was being carried out under tribunal and court directions, and that the national benefits justified the costs. Both positions have been presented in public debate and in court.

What did the Supreme Court decide about the Sardar Sarovar Dam?

The Supreme Court of India, in its judgment of October 2000 in the case brought by the Narmada Bachao Andolan, allowed construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam to continue in stages, subject to the condition that rehabilitation of displaced families be completed before each increase in height. The Court rejected the argument that the project should be stopped altogether, while stressing the obligation to resettle those affected.

The decision was one of several in a long legal history, and the main steps are shown below.

The judgment confirmed that rehabilitation must keep pace with construction, and it set up a process of monitoring through the NCA and grievance redressal authorities in the states. Later court orders dealt with specific disputes on the rehabilitation of families.

How are displaced people rehabilitated?

Displaced people are rehabilitated under policies set by the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal and by state governments, which provide land or cash compensation, house plots and basic services at resettlement sites. The tribunal’s rules said that affected families should receive land in place of land lost, and the states later introduced their own packages.

The scale of the affected population is large. Official and activist counts have differed, and a figure in the range of tens of thousands of families across three states is commonly mentioned. The process has been uneven, according to many independent studies, with good outcomes in some resettlement sites and complaints about land quality, delays and facilities in others.

• Gujarat: resettled families received land and plots in planned colonies, and the state reports having completed much of its rehabilitation.
• Madhya Pradesh: the state has the largest number of affected people, and issues over rehabilitation and cash compensation were repeatedly raised in court.
• Maharashtra: a smaller number of families were affected, many tribal households in hill areas.
• Grievance Redressal Authorities: bodies in each state hear complaints about compensation and resettlement.

Sensible reading of the record recognises that official reports and independent assessments sometimes reach different conclusions, and that rehabilitation remains an area of continuing review.

What is the Narmada Main Canal and how does the water travel?

The Narmada Main Canal is the principal canal of the Sardar Sarovar Project, a concrete-lined channel roughly 458 km long that carries water from the reservoir across Gujarat to the border with Rajasthan. Smaller branch canals, distributaries and pipelines then bring water to farms and villages.

The canal is notable for its size and for the way it crosses rivers and ridges using aqueducts and siphons. It starts near the dam and runs south-to-north through several districts, ending in Rajasthan where a separate canal serves arid areas of Jalore and Barmer. A smaller canal-head powerhouse sits at the start of the canal and generates power from the water released.

The canal network also supports other uses, including a pipeline grid for drinking water, and in places it has been fitted with solar panels over the water surface as pilot projects to save land and reduce evaporation.

Why does the Sardar Sarovar Dam matter?

The Sardar Sarovar Dam matters because it is one of India’s largest water-transfer projects and a major source of water security for dry regions of western India, while also serving as a central case in the national debate on development and displacement. It is regularly discussed in policy, law and environmental studies.

Different observers emphasise different aspects.

• Water security: the canal brings drinking water to places that previously depended on tankers and groundwater.
• Agricultural change: irrigation has altered cropping patterns in parts of Gujarat.
• Power and flexibility: hydropower adds peaking capacity to the western grid.
• Legal and policy lessons: the project shaped later thinking on resettlement, environmental assessment and public participation in India.
• Tourism: the dam and the Statue of Unity have created a significant visitor economy near Kevadia.

Analyses continue to differ on how well the intended benefits have reached all areas and on the full social and ecological cost, so the project is seen as a case that rewards a balanced reading of evidence from all sides.

Bottom Line

The Sardar Sarovar Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Narmada in Gujarat, about 163 m high from its foundation, that brings irrigation, drinking water and hydropower to four states under the 1979 tribunal award. Its completion in 2017 followed decades of court cases and the Narmada Bachao Andolan, and questions about rehabilitation and ecological impact remain part of its story. Last reviewed: 17 October 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Sardar Sarovar Dam located?

The Sardar Sarovar Dam is located on the Narmada River at Navagam in Narmada district of Gujarat, near Kevadia, now called Ekta Nagar. It is a short distance from the Statue of Unity. The reservoir it creates extends upstream into Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

How tall is the Sardar Sarovar Dam?

The Sardar Sarovar Dam is about 163 m tall from its deepest foundation, and its full reservoir level is 138.68 m above mean sea level. It is a concrete gravity dam with a crest roughly 1.2 km long. Figures vary slightly depending on the reference point.

Which states share the Narmada water from Sardar Sarovar?

Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra share the water under the 1979 award of the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal. Madhya Pradesh has the largest share of about 18.25 million acre-feet, followed by Gujarat at about 9, Rajasthan at about 0.5 and Maharashtra at about 0.25. Power is shared mainly among Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

What is the Narmada Bachao Andolan?

The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) is a social movement, formed in the mid-1980s, that opposed large dams on the Narmada, including Sardar Sarovar, mainly over displacement and environmental concerns. It was associated with activist Medha Patkar and pursued its case through protests and the courts. The government argued that the project would bring major water and power benefits.

What did the Supreme Court say about the Sardar Sarovar Dam?

The Supreme Court of India allowed the Sardar Sarovar Dam to be built in stages in its October 2000 judgment, on condition that rehabilitation of displaced families keep pace with each increase in height. It did not stop the project but stressed resettlement obligations. Monitoring was assigned to the Narmada Control Authority and state grievance redressal bodies.

When was the Sardar Sarovar Dam completed?

The Sardar Sarovar Dam reached its full design height in 2017, when its gates were closed and it was inaugurated in September of that year. The foundation stone had been laid in 1961, so the project took more than five decades. The long timeline reflects tribunal proceedings, funding changes and court cases.

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