Narmada water dispute
Topic: Federalism and Centre-State Relations · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 7 "Federalism"
Meaning
The Narmada water dispute was a quarrel among Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan over sharing the waters of the Narmada river. It was referred to a tribunal under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act 1956. It is a standard example of a dispute settled through the tribunal route.
Example
The tribunal's 1979 award shared the waters and allowed the Sardar Sarovar dam to be built in Gujarat. The dam itself later faced protests from the Narmada Bachao Andolan over people being displaced.
Don't confuse with
- Rajasthan's role: Rajasthan is a party to the Narmada dispute even though the river does not flow through it. This is a common Prelims trap.
Related concepts
- Inter-state river water disputes
- Inter-State River Water Disputes Act 1956
- Inter-state water disputes tribunal
- River Boards Act 1956
- Cauvery water dispute
- Cauvery Water Management Authority
- Ravi-Beas water dispute
- Inter-state border disputes
- Belgaum border dispute