Indian Villagers Stage Protest by Immersing Themselves in Water

. By T.V. Antony Raj

The water level in the Omkareshwar dam has already risen to 190.5 meters. It has affected the crops in Ghogal, Kaamankheda and 30 other villages. People use boats to cross the river as foot bridges are now submerged.

According to the members of the ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’, the state government’s decision without rehabilitating people residing in low-lying villages violates the Supreme Court order, that states the villagers should be rehabilitated no less than six months before enforcing this sort of decision.

The health of the protestors is deteriorating, but the government so far has not offered any medical help. No one from the local administration has visited the protesters. The district-level authorities in their capacity have agreed to give in to some of their demands. However, these do not include their two main demands namely, reduce the water level of the dam to 189 meters, and proper implementation of the land for land compensation.

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Heavy rainfall has been reported across Madhya Pradesh over the last 24 hours. The Bhopal-Indore-Khandwa state highway is closed. The Narmada River is flowing above the danger level in Omkareshwar and Khandwa. The government has opened all the gates of the Omkareshwar dam to maintain steady water levels. This comes as a setback to 30 villages in Khandwa district that are already submerged.