In 1978, the Gujarat Government decided to construct a dam on the Machhan River in Nan Salai, and in 1982, close to 600 families were relocated 2 kilometers away from their lands. These families, mostly belonging to the Bhil tribe, opposed and resisted the project but were eventually convinced with money and land for compensation. 35 years since, they have been compensated with money. However, it is the land that they want. They had been promised some land in Kalitala (forest area about 10 kms before Dahod on the GodhraDahod Highway), but the forest department has not acknowledged their rights over the said land. The dam, which is a small earthen one built primarily for irrigation , oozes and the water reaches the homes of local residents often, leaving the village marshy. A local resident said, For at least three months of the year, we are surrounded by water from three fronts which make it impossible to grow any crop. Even if we plant some crop, the spillway from the dam ensures that the entire crop rots. Without their own lands and the promised lands, the farmers are now struggle to cultivate crops around their new homes owing to a substantial increase in the area under water. The primary purpose of the dam has also n[ot been served](http://Although the Machannala Dam is categorised as an irrigation dam, the water for irrigation has also not reached the villages Sampoi, Raniar, Varod, Nan Salai, Chansar and Tandi, where the displaced people live.); the water for irrigation has, till date, not reached the villages Sampoi, Raniar, Varod, Nan Salai, Chansar and Tandi, where the displaced people live. This has left the displaced with neither land or water but a lot of land under water. The flooding is also claimed to be causing severe infections among the children in the village. Many of these families were part of the long march by farmers that took place in Mumbai in March 2018, and in earlier protests in Gujarat as well.