The Sardar Sarovar Dam project was conceptualised by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in 1946 and, hence, has been named after him. Though the foundation stone for the project was laid by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1961, the construction could commence only in February 1980 due to litigation on issues relating to the environment and rehabilitation of displaced villagers.

After clearances from various authorities were secured, construction work progressed, but the dam remained unfinished at a height of 121.92 metres till May 2014.

The project was completed in June 2014, after the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) approved the State government’s eight-year-old plea to increase the Sardar Sarovar dam’s height by installing 17-metre tall sluice gates.

Subsequently, the dam’s height went up from 121.92 metres to 138.68 metres, taking it to its full height. (This is also the reservoir level in the closed-gates condition.)

The storage capacity has increased to 4.73 million cubic metres from the earlier 1.27 million cubic metres.

The increased reservoir levels will help pump more water into the planned 75,000-km-long network of Narmada canals across Gujarat. The project, costing ₹60,000 crore, will provide water for irrigation to one million farmers for 1.8 million hectares in Gujarat and 2,46,000 hectares in Rajasthan; additionally, drinking water will be supplied to 8,221 villages, 159 towns and eight cities across Gujarat. The hydro power generated from the turbines installed in the dam provides electricity to Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

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