Narmada is the fifth largest river of the country. It is the longest west-flowing river in India whose water resource is greater than the combined potentials of the Satluj, Beas and Ravi rivers. Narmada has a total length of ,312 km with command area of 98,796 sq. km 87 per cent of which lies in Madhya Pradesh(l 1.5%inGujarat and 1.5%in Maharashtra).
About 45,000 million cubic meter of water annually flows in the river (90 per cent during Monsoon season). A detailed plan was chalked out in 1945-46 to make the optimum utilisation of the Narmada River for irrigation, power generation and flood control. But it was in 1947 when the concrete proposal was put forth and the work started in 1961.
The project involves construction of 29 major, 450 medium and 3,000 minor dams and barrages over the river of which the Sardar Sarovar Dam and the Narmada Sagar Dam (by Madhya Pradesh, are the most important. These two dams cover a total command area of 19 lakh hectares (16 lakh hectares in Gujarat and 3 lakh hectares in Madhya Pradesh) and generating about 3,000 mw of power.
The total irrigation potential thus created would be 19.32 lakh hectares (17.92 lakh ha in Gujarat and 1.4 lakh ha in Madhya Pradesh) other benefits of the project include agricultural development, dairying, industrialisation, employment generation, drinking water, a forestation, rural electrification and urbanisation.