Sardar Sarovar Project(SSP) -An Epitome of Engineering is a perfect example where engineering meets technology. Sardar Sarovar Project is constructed on the river Narmada which originates from Amarkontak,Madhya Pradesh and ends in Gulf of Khambhat Gujarat trailing a length of 1312 km.The SSP is located near Navagam,Gujarat.A visit to SSP was arranged by the staff of Civil Engineering Department, GCET on 20th January, 2017. We reached there by 10 AM. We were all excited to feel a sensation of extreme engineering of SSP. At the first we saw the site of Statue of Unity which after completion will possess a height of an astonishing 182 meters. Pile driving works were going on. Then we reached the entrance of River Bed Power House. The entrance was a huge tunnel opening which was formed by cutting the adamant rocks of mountains of Vindhyaand Satpura Ranges.The power house is located under a mountain. When we entered the power house, we were amazed to see the heavy machineries. The power house was 200 m long, 23 m wide and 53 m tall.During that time the turbines were not working due to shortage in the water head of the reservoir. The River Bed Power House comprises of six reversible Francis type turbine having a power generation capacity of 200MW each.The turbines were supplied by M/S Sumitomo Corporation, Japan. The power generation capacity of the River Bed Power House is 1200MW.The minimum water head required for power generation is 128.68 m. The diameter of the penstock is 22 feet.The power generation cost is 30 paisa per unit.The power generated by the SSP is shared among three states Gujarat(16%), Madhya Pradesh (57%), and Maharashtra (27%).The share of power supply was decided on the basis of the scale of people affected due to construction of dam. Approximately 193 villages in Madhya Pradesh and 19 villages of Gujarat were submerged in the basin of the reservoir.Then we visited the control room of the River Bed Power House. It was an engineering marvel and we were explained the whole procedure of power generation.Then we went to the actual site of the dam.Late Prime Minister of India, Shri Morarji Desai laid the foundation stone of the dam.The dam is 1.2 km long and it is 146.5 m high. It is 163 m from foundation and it is located at an elevation of 146.5 m from sea level. The dam comprises of 30 gates each having a discharge capacity of 1 lakh cusecs.The Sardar Sarovar Project is known as the Most Controversial Project in Indian history. The reason behind it is the political and social obstructions faced while construction of the dam. The main public figure behind it was Medha Patkar. Then we went to the Canal Bed power House. The most wonderful thing of the project is that it generates power from the flowing water that enters canal making the project more efficient. The Canal Bed power House consists of five Kaplan turbines having generation capacity of 50 MW each. Thus power generation capacity of the power house is 250MW.Then we went to the starting point of the main canal of the dam. The SSP comprises of canals of length 67000km, making it the world?s longest lined canal network.Though the controversies during the construction of the dam were huge, but it is a boon to the drier parts of Kachchh and Saurashtra. It is to be noted that approximately 8900 villages, 35 city are benefitted by SSP and in addition 35 lakh area if benefitted by SSP. Thus one cannot deny that it is one of the most wonderful engineering project.constructed in India having a higher benefit-cost ratio.

Department: Civil Engineering