As many as 10 sluice valves of the Sardar Sarovar dam built on river Narmada were opened on Thursday night.
Led by Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) volunteers, the locals in Barwani had started an indefinite sit in at Rajghat in Barwani district since Aug 7 opposing the submergence of 193 villages despite ‘incomplete’ rehabilitation of farmers and other locals in said areas.
However, as the water level had reached 131 m mark on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday following heavy rainfall in the region, the floodgates of the mega dam were opened and water started to approach the agitation site at around 10pm on Thursday night.
The protesters however remained adamant on continuing their dharna.
Collector Amit Tomar accompanied by senior officials had personally reached the site to have a dialogue with the protesters and after the senior officer accepted various demands, the dharna finally ended at 3am this morning.
The water had already reached the Datt temple on the banks of river Narmada and police with the help of NDRF jawans rescued the protesters and locals and sent them to safety.
The NBA in a statement said that the administration has agreed for a joint survey of affected areas, to include NBA representatives in government rehabilitation committees, a meeting with Narmada Valley Development Authority soon and to open dam floodgates open unless the rehabilitation process was completed.
The organisation however affirmed that they won’t relent unless all the affected people get justice. The organisation fighting against the Sardar Sarovar project in last few decades alleged that the heavy rains also exposed the ill-arrangement of disaster management in the region.
According to existing provisions, the dam water level can’t exceed 131 metre mark.
