Author(s): Mar铆a Arquero de Alarc贸n, Nishant Mittal, Dhara Mittal & Olaia Chivite Amigo
This essay traces the story of the Narmada River and its transformation from a sacred landscape to one of the largest mechanized territorial systems in the world. The Narmadatravelssome 1,300 kilometers from Amarkantaktothe Arabian Sea; enabling the livelihood of millions, shaping distinct regional identities and embodying a rich cultural imaginary for those worshiping her holy waters. The infrastructural potential of the river was first formulated as a megaregional project in the 1940s to modernize and bring prosperity to the watershed. Under implementation since the 1980s, the 鈥淣armada Valley Development Project鈥 is incrementally transforming the river into an interstate infrastructural network of water conveyance and energy generation. Through a cartographic and photographic inventory, the project traces the transformation of the natural and cultural systems associated with the Narmada River over time. Pausing at Omkareshwar, a major pilgrimage destination, the essay unfolds the current state of uncertainty and civic unrest that the massive infrastructural works are placing in the fragile lives of the valley dwellers.
Volume Editors
脕ngela Garc铆a de Paredes, I帽aqui Carnicero & Julio Salcedo-Fernandez
ISBN
978-1-944214-18-0