Sardar Sarovar to be ready by '10

Work on Sardar Sarovar Project will be completed by 2010, senior officials said.

Before the onset of the monsoon in Gujarat, 119 metre of the dam was constructed and by end this year another 121.93 metre, awarded by Narmada Control Authority, will be completed, the officials said.

"Work on the entire project, including distribution canal system, will get over by 2010," PM Patel, chief engineer, said.

Sardar Sarovar Project is already behind schedule by 13 years due to the Narmada Bachao Andolan, an anti-dam movement that has raised the issue of rehabilitation of the displaced people at the dam site. Work on the project was started in 1987 to complete in 1997.

Delay in raising the height of the dam has led to severe cost escalation and now the estimated cost of the project is Rs 250 billion.

Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam, a public limited company overseeing the project, has spent Rs 227.50 billion on the project so far. The entire project cost estimation was Rs 64 billion in 1984.

Once completed the project will provide irrigation benefit to 1.87 million hectare land in Gujarat and 200,000 hectares in Rajasthan besides regular drinking water supply to 8,215 villages and 137 towns in Gujarat.

The dam has installed hydro-power generation capacity of 1,450 mw shared by Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.

"Full reservoir level storage capacity of Sardar Sarovar dam will be 9,500 mln cubic metre which is 63% of total capacity of other 183 dams constructed in Gujarat," AV Gajjar, executive engineer, said.