Why did the NBA go to Delhi?
On March 10th, the NarmadaControl Authority(NCA) permitted a further increasein dam height.This occurred despite the Water Resource Minister Saiffudin Soz’s protest that the clearance was premature given the incomplete status of rehabilitation. Because this decision endangered 35,000 families, the NBA decided to go to Delhi to seek the Prime Minister's intervention.

What is the current status of resettlement?
In 2005, Supreme Court observed that the rehabilitation was lagging behind even at the 110 m level. Of 52,000 families displaced by the reservoir, nearly 15,000 families have been secured land due to NBA pressure for the past 20 years. If the dam height goes to 121.9 m, 35,000 families will face submergence this monsoon. 

How did the government react? What now?
During the 20 day hunger strike, a Group of Union Ministers visited the Narmada valley, and reported that it would take at least a year of hard work to get the rehabilitation sites ready. Ignoring this report, the Prime Minister turned over the decision to the Supreme Court. The Court did not halt the construction, but appointed another committee, which ordered another survey, and postponed the case till July.

What next?
Facing floods and crop losses, the people will continue to demand rule of law and strive for every family to receive full and just rehabilitation. It will require mass solidarity to revert the tide of injustice that is submerging the valley and the families living in it.