ABSTRACT
The controversial Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) is one of the largest and expensive multipurpose river projects ever to be initiated in India. The cost of supplying drinking water has not been factored into any overall cost estimate of the SSP even though drinking water is a prominently mentioned benefit of the project. The SSP plans to irrigate 1.8 million hectares of land spread over 12 districts in Gujara and an additional 75,000 hectares in Rajasthan. Thus, it is clear that the claim of irrigating the most needy and drought-hit areas of Kutch, Saurashtra, and North Gujarat is a mirage in the desert. As the SSP planning documents show, the amount of power that will be generated on a reliable basis drops from 415 MW to 0 MW for the Riverbed Powerhouse, and increases from 24 MW to 50 MW in the Canal Head Powerhouse.
