The Gujarat government’s recent move to award the Bhadbhut project contract has grabbed headlines. As a critical development, the Inland Waterway Authority of India has given the go-ahead for this project, stirring controversy involving local fishermen. This article investigates the features, purpose and potential impacts of the project.
Project Overview
The Bhadbhut project locates itself across the river Narmada, 5 km from Bhadbhut village and roughly 25 km from the point where the river drains into the Gulf of Khambhat. Notably, the project is a significant component of the larger Kalpasar Project, which involves building a 30-km dam across the Gulf of Khambhat between Bharuch and Bhavnagar districts.
This ambitious initiative by Gujarat aims to conserve about 25% of the state’s average annual surface water resources. Upon completion, the reservoir will hold approximately 8,000 million cubic metres (MCM) of surface water, thereby earning the title of one of the world’s largest freshwater reservoirs in the sea.
The Purpose Behind The Project
One primary drive behind the implementation of the Bhadbhut project is to check salinity ingress. This term connotes the infiltration of saltwater into zones previously inhabited solely by freshwater. Due to diminished freshwater flow, saline seawater invades the Narmada estuary during high tide, thereby escalating the salinity along the banks.
The project will curb most of the excess water flowing out from the Sardar Sarovar Dam from reaching the sea. Consequently, it will establish a fresh water lake of 600 MCM on the river, offering a solution to the ongoing freshwater issues in Bharuch. It also plans to harness the surplus waters of the Narmada, Mahisagar and Sabarmati rivers in the reservoir.
Anticipated Impact
Despite the strategic design and multiple benefits, the project’s adverse impacts have sparked protests among local fishermen. The barrage is likely to upset the migration and breeding cycles of hilsa, obstructing their natural infiltration. Hilsa, a marine species, usually travels upstream to the Narmada estuary’s brackish water near Bharuch for spawning in the monsoon months of July and August, continuing till November.
The dam’s reduced outflow of water, coupled with industrial effluents flowing into the river and salinity ingress, are perceived as the prime causes behind hilsa’s population decline.
Moreover, a part of Aliya Bet, an island in the Narmada delta known for shrimp farming, is predicted to submerge partially due to the project. The project would also impact a segment of the forest on Aliya Bet.
While significant economic gains and environmental solutions drive the Bhadbhut project, its implementation would mean addressing the anticipated repercussions on biodiversity and local livelihoods.
Last Modified: February 8, 2024