Kadana Dam and River Ecology of Mahisagar

The Kadana Dam on the Mahisagar river in Mahisagar district is Gujarat's largest reservoir by area, creating a vast lake in the Aravalli hill country. The Kadana reservoir submerged hundreds of Koli tribal villages in the 1979 construction, displacing tens of thousands of families in one of Gujarat's most contested dam displacement cases. The reservoir is ecologically rich: its islands and coves support nesting and wintering waterbirds including bar-headed goose, red-crested pochard, and various herons. Mahseer fish (Tor tor) still swim in the Mahisagar river above the reservoir. The dam generates hydropower and provides irrigation to downstream areas of Kheda and Anand districts. Displaced Kadana communities preserved their cultural identity through strong tribal organization, staging protests and demanding rehabilitation for decades. The Mahisagar river's local name (Mahe = great, Sagara = river) reflects its historical importance as a life-sustaining artery of central Gujarat.