Narmada Bachao Andolan was founded in 1985. It brought together displaced tribals, farmers and activists from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. They were protesting against the thirty major dams of the Narmada Valley Development Project, especially the Sardar Sarovar.
Their slogan was “No one will hate, no one will bond!” meaning: “We will not move, the dam will not be built!”. This movement was led by Medha Patkar. This nonviolent movement brought attention to issues of rehabilitation and ecological damage. It led to the World Bank withdrawing and changing India’s dam policy.
How did the Narmada Bachao Andolan start?
The crisis started with the Sardar Sarovar Proposals in 1961 in Navagam, Gujarat. Things escalated in 1969 when the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal allocated water shares. Required resettlement plans were largely ignored in the 1980s.
Source: Narmada district
As the floods threatened the villages of Jhabua and Dhar without alternatives, early groups such as Narmada Dharangrast Samiti joined the NBA. The The $450 million loan from the World Bank for the project drew attention to the Adivasi’s dependence on riverine forests.
Evolution of the Narmada Bachao Andolan
The movement gained traction during the 1989 Manibeli meeting, which brought the tribal conflict into focus. Major events included a five-day sit-in in Delhi in 1990 with 2,000 participants at the Prime Minister’s residence, the 100-kilometer march of the Narmada Yatra and the 22-day fast of Baba Amte in 1991.
Source: The Economist
Patkar’s annual hunger strikes at Gandhi Setu reached a peak in 1993 when the… Morse Committee exposed issues that led to the departure of the World Bank. Work on the project was suspended from 1994 to 1999 despite a Supreme Court stay.
What were the challenges faced by Narmada Bachao Andolan?
Gandhian principles guided the NBA. Their tactics include jal samadhi (wading in rising waters), forming human chains and using folk theater.
Medha Patkar declared famous, “We’ll drown, but don’t move!” faced police brutality and more than 100 arrests. Legal successes led to restoration of the watershed in 1994.
The NBA faced challenges from Gujarat’s irrigation interests, with critics pointing to stalled benefits for 20 million drought-prone farmers.
Achievements and criticism of the movement
World Bank press release dated March 30, 1993: “Indian government announcement cancels World Bank loan for Sardar Sarovar (Narmada) projectThe movement’s successes included the end of World Bank funding in 1993 and a revised resettlement policy that relocated 40,000 families, although this figure is disputed.
The standards for environmental impact assessment also became stricter. On the other hand, the Sardar Sarovar project reached a height of 138 meters at its inauguration in 2017, while the Narmada Canal in Gujarat benefited millions.
Meanwhile, the displaced people in Madhya Pradesh claimed cash-for-land fraud, according to a 2019 investigation. CAG Report (No. 1). The NBA has established legal principles for ‘development victims’, contributed to the Forest Rights Act in 2006 and exposed corruption through the RTI.
Protests against the full-height gates continue in light of possible flooding in 2026. Patkar’s 1992 Right to Livelihood award highlights the ongoing debates as new projects under Adani renew concerns about displacement.
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