around the proposed reservoir (discussed above), the planned ameliorative measures in the command area are also heavily dependent on chemical control. This could in itself become a major source of health problems. This issue has been raised several times in the meetings of the NCA Environment Sub-group, but has not been satisfactorily resolved.

The canal network will disrupt natural drainage patterns in the command area. The impacts of this are difficult to predict in the absence of information. However, according to newspaper reports in Gujarat, the Ajwa Tank in Baroda remained unfilled in 1993, despite good rains, because the drainage system into the tank had been blocked by the canal, while fields above the canal reported waterlogging in 1993 and 1994. A canal network as large as the SSP's (75,000 km. in length) has the potential to cause serious problems in this respect.

Resettlement Sites

Over 4200 ha of forest land in Maharashtra have so far been released for the rehabilitation for SSP displaced persons in Maharashtra. This was despite the statement in the conditional clearance that "no forest land will be used for rehabilitation of oustees." This was also done without any survey of the flora-fauna of the area. It is now anticipated that more such land will be released in Madhya Pradesh, which has the largest number of displaced persons. In addition, rehabilitation will result in increased pressure on the existing natural resources, with particular effect on grazing lands, forests, and waterbodies. Since the majority of resettlement sites for the people to be displaced by the SSP are not yet known (only about 20% of those to be displaced have been assigned resettlement sites), it is not possible to analyse these effects here.