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Women of Tatighat village spend 2-3 hours into carrying waters to their house. Photograph: (Ground Report)
Read in Hindi: Sixty-eight-year-old Ramlal Narte, a resident of Kunda village in Mandla district, lives just four kilometers from the Narmada River. Yet, he can only cultivate crops during the rainy season. When asked why he cannot farm in the summer, he replies,
“I would have grown many crops, but there is no water facility.”
This story isn’t just about Narte. Mandla lies on one side of the Narmada River, while Seoni district is on the other. Yet, farmers on both sides face a severe shortage of irrigation water despite their proximity to the river.
The proposed Chutka nuclear power project, which will require vast amounts of water, threatens to deepen the crisis for Kunda’s residents. Like Narte, most villagers, belonging to the Gond tribe, were displaced by the Bargi Dam project and fear yet another forced displacement due to the Chutka plant.
Ironically, the villagers' struggle for water seems never-ending. They say they have yet to receive water from the reservoir that displaced them. Now, another government project—one that demands a vast amount of water—is forcing them to face displacement once again.
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High and dry
Narate cultivates 20 acres of land to feed his family. He depends on the well in his field for irrigation and drinking water. In summer, this water falls short for the crop and family needs. When the well dries up, the women fetch water from a hand pump two kilometers away.
Narte’s connection with water is marked by loss and struggle. Nearly 45 years ago, his village was submerged due to the Bargi Dam project. As a young man, he actively participated in the movement against displacement, protesting alongside his fellow villagers. Reflecting on his past, he says,
"Back then, officials promised the dam would provide water and improve irrigation. Today, we have neither our ancestral homes nor enough water for our fields."
The Bargi Dam, constructed in 1990, stands 34 km from Jabalpur and 339 km from Bhopal. As one of the first dams built on the Narmada River, its 69-meter height led to the submergence of approximately 26,797 hectares across Jabalpur, Mandla, and Seoni districts.
Recalling the devastation, Narte says angrily, "162 villages were submerged."
According to government data, 114,000 people were displaced by the Bargi Dam project. The justification for this massive undertaking was that it would irrigate 4.37 lakh hectares of land and generate 105 MW of electricity.
However, data suggests that the dam currently irrigates only 24,000 hectares—far below its intended target. Narte highlights the persistent challenges, explaining that his village has only a single-phase electricity connection, while a three-phase connection is required to operate his motor pump. During the summer, when his well's water level drops, he is left with no choice but to draw water manually using a bucket.
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Life becomes a victim of drowning
Other residents of Kunda share similar stories of disruption and hardship following their displacement due to the Bargi Dam. The village, located in Narayanpur tehsil of Mandla, also suffers from poor infrastructure. Complaining about the terrible road conditions, an elderly villager remarks in frustration,
"Travel to Narayanpur by road, and you'll end up with body ache."
Locals recall that during the dam’s construction, they were promised a better life. Yet, 45 years later, development remains stagnant. Narte adds,
"The situation is even worse in the upper villages. No one wants to marry off their daughters there because the boys have no jobs."
Like Kunda, other villages in the region face similar water crises. In Tatighat, a town situated along the banks of the Narmada River, two women stand by a hand pump, filling multiple utensils with water. They explain that they must repeat this task four times a day, carrying the heavy load back home. Despite living right next to the river, their household still lacks a tap connection.
Shyamlal Barman, a fisherman from Tatighat, comes from a family of farmers. His father once cultivated land in the plains before their village, Tatighat, was submerged. The community was later resettled on a plateau, retaining the same name. During the displacement, officials assured them they would still be able to grow at least one crop, but now Barman’s old farmland remains underwater year-round.
Now landless, Barman laments,
“Our 1.5 acres of land would dry after the rains, allowing us to grow a crop and some vegetables. Now, it stays submerged all year.”
With a family of seven, Barman faces the threat of displacement yet again, as the Chutka nuclear project looms over his village.
Expressing his frustration, another resident remarked, “For years, the government couldn’t provide us with drinking water, but now it suddenly has enough for the power plant."
In 2009, the government approved the Chutka nuclear power project in Chutka village, Mandla district. The project has a total capacity of 1400 (2x700) megawatts and will require 9000 cubic meters of water every hour to keep the nuclear reactor cool, sourced from the Bargi dam.
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Long wait for lift irrigation
On the other side of the Narmada River, in Kedarpur village of Seoni district, 58-year-old Narayan Patel shares his story of displacement due to the Bargi Dam Project. Previously, he lived in Bijaura and owned 10 acres of land, all of which was submerged.
Now, Patel farms on just 5 acres. This Rabi season, he has planted wheat on 2 acres and peas on 3 acres. However, due to limited irrigation, he does not expect a significant yield from his crops. Patel adds,
“We’ve dug a 40-foot well, but it provides water for only 1 hour a day.”
Patel struggles to support his family through farming, so he also works as a labourer in Narsinghpur district, 130 kilometers away. Displaced by the Bargi Dam, he received only Rs 11,000 for his 10 acres of land. He holds the Bargi Dam responsible for his current financial hardship.
In 1987, Jabalpur Commissioner KC Dubey reported in the 'Plan for Roof' that the Bargi Dam submerged 26,797 hectares of land, including 14,750 hectares of ownership land. This displacement affected 7,000 families, with 43% of them from the tribal community.
Like Narte, Patel's village is also located 4 km from the Narmada River. Approximately 10 years ago, then-Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan announced an irrigation project for the area through lift irrigation, but it has yet to be implemented.
Rehmat, who researches reservoirs and dam-based irrigation projects at Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, blames the government for not developing any irrigation infrastructure, resulting in no successful lift irrigation schemes in 10 years. He adds,
"The government isn't serious about the micro lift irrigation model. It's investing in these schemes, but there's no account of where the money is going."
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The Bargi Diversion Major Irrigation Project started to meet the irrigation requirements in the Bargi Dam. Initially, the project cost was Rs 1101.23 crore to supply water to Jabalpur, Satna, Katni, Rewa and Panna districts. Later, the cost reached Rs 5127.22 crore.
But Mandla and Seoni districts are not included in this project. Farmers displaced from the Bargi Dam project and now living on the Narmada banks won’t get its water.
The central government approved a new nuclear power project in Kindrai, Seoni district, in December 2024. This project will also be set up on the Narmada’s bank near the Chutka Nuclear Power Project, requiring a large amount of water from the dam.
In this context, Narte and other displaced farmers believe the government should have prioritized providing water to them first. Narte points out that the government is already supplying water to the Jhabua Power Plant in Seoni district, followed by the Chutka and Kindrai power plants. This, he argues, shows that ensuring water access for the displaced communities is not a priority.
Dr. Pradeep Nandi, an expert in agriculture and water reservoirs, says that Madhya Pradesh has enough water to irrigate farmers’ fields. But no attention has been paid to building canals in the state. He points,
"If we take the example of Sardar Sarovar, when the case was going on in the court regarding its height, Gujarat developed its own canal system. Therefore, as soon as the case is over, it is providing water to a large part. Whereas we did not make any such preparations."
Ramlal Narte's family earns ₹2 lakh annually, which is insufficient to support his 18-member joint family. He says,
“If water reaches our fields, my sons won’t have to migrate, and the summer water scarcity will be resolved.”
Whether it’s Ramlal Narte or Narayan Patel, the government’s priority should be to implement effective irrigation schemes to provide water to farmers. If power projects continue to be prioritized, their homes might have electricity, but their homes will not have enough food to survive.
Edited by Diwash Gahatraj
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