Several villages, including low-level areas in Nisarpur town, were submerged on Friday as the water level rose to 128.3 meters. (Photo: AFP)

Bhopal: As the water level in the submergence area of the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada rose, several habitations, including farmlands, located on the banks of the river in Madhya Pradesh were submerged.

Even as social activists fighting for the cause of the people facing displacement by Sardar Sarovar Dam Project (SSP), built on river Narmada in Gujarat, have claimed that many families have still stayed put in their houses submerged partially by the river water demanding compensation, officials said National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has begun the process of evacuating people in these areas to safer places.

“There is no resistance from anybody during evacuation of the affected families. People have volunteered to shift to rehabilitation centres. NDRF has been deployed to help them in their relocation,” a local sub-divisional magistrate in Barwani district said.

Several villages, including low-level areas in Nisarpur town, were submerged on Friday as the water level rose to 128.3 meters.

“More than 400 families in the submergence area were on Saturday moved to safer places,” a senior district officer told this newspaper on Saturday.

However, social activists agitating for suitable rehabilitation of people facing displacement by the project.

Chikalda, Dharamray and Kakrana villages and parts of Narasinghpur town have been submerged partially, an activist of Medha Patkar-led Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) said. Water level has been rising in the river following closure of gates of SSP on July 17 this year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the SSP on his birthday on Sunday. NBA has disputed the government’s estimation on number of families to be displaced by the dam project.

While NBA has claimed that 40,000 families in 192 villages on the banks of Narmada will be displace, the Madhya Pradesh government 18,386 families in 141 villages will be affected. Dam’s height has been raised to 138.68 meters.