In an astounding move, NHPC published a Tender Notice for ‘Chenab-Beas Link Tunnel Project (Link 3)’ on the 20th May 2026 [1] and immediately cancelled it on the 23rd May 2026. No details of this project were online before this sudden announcement and its retraction, nor does the project have legally required environmental, forest, tribal ministry clearances or Gram Sabha resolutions in support.
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DRP 010626: Secret Pipeline to dump untreated pollutants in River in Rajasthan
(Feature Image: Dainik Bhaskar 29 May 2026 clip on illegal pipeline from CETP discharging effluents in Jojari river.)
Even for the murky dealings going on in the name of pollution control in India, this must figure most imaginative, filmy stuff. On May 27, a 4 km long secret pipeline was discovered by a Supreme Court appointed committee in Jodhpur district in Rajasthan. The pipeline connected a Central Effluent Treatment Plant and Jojari River. It’s not yet clear for how long this has been going and how many more such imaginative infrastructure exist.
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Mass fish Death in Delhi’s Sanjay Lake in May 2026 due to Mismanagement
(Feature Image: Mass fish death in Sanjay lake. Source: TIE)
Several reports in past few days have attributed the mass fish death incident in Sanjay Lake of Mayur Vihar phase II in East Delhi to the ongoing intense heat spell also linking it to adverse impacts of climate change.
However, following updates and a ground visit by concerned citizens reveal the primary reason to be a sharp decline in lake’s water levels for past few weeks. This raises serious questions about the sorry state of affairs concerning management of lakes in the national capital.
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DRP 250526: No more Hydro in Upper Ganga welcome decision: Science demands same for rest of Himalayas
(Feature Image: Yamuna river in flowless condition downstream Juddo dam (Vyasi HEP) in Dehradun in June 2023. Bhim Singh Rawat/ SANDRP)
The decision of Government of India, conveyed to the Supreme Court through a joint affidavit from Union Ministry of Jal Shakti and Ministry of Environment and Forests, with concurrence of also the Union Power Ministry that no more hydro projects will be taken up in Upper Ganga basin after three under construction projects are completed (four of the seven listed are already commissioned, so only three under construction projects remain) is welcome. It has taken decades of struggle by many campaigns and movements, including the massive June 2013 disaster and the Supreme Court order led by Justice Radha Krishnan then among others.
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Panzath Springs Festival: Kashmir’s Living Tradition of Water & Fish Conservation
(Feature Image: An aerial view of the cleaning and fishing festival. Image Source: Awaz The Voice.)
Over time, the Panzath fishing festival has emerged as a remarkable community-led initiative aiming to protect and celebrate the sacred Panzath Naag (springs) in Anantnag district of Jammu & Kashmir. The historical springs have immense cultural value and serve as a potable and irrigation water lifeline for over three dozen villages.
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DRP 180526: Ethanol Production in Drought prone areas: A false solution?
(Feature Image: AI generated image. Source: National Herald)
The proliferation of sugar mills and sugarcane cultivation in drought prone areas like Marathwada, North Karnataka, Cauvery basin areas in Tamil Nadu has always been a huge scandal, ongoing for decades. Now new dimensions are getting added to this, as the following article this week shows: Ethanol procurement for blending with petrol, now upto 20%, but there are moves afoot to increase it to upto 100%.
The Ethanol does not come just from molasses, a by-product of sugar manufacture, but now even from sugar. Yet another dimension that is getting added is the use of rice and maize also for manufacture of ethanol. Rice itself is hugely water intensive crop, its second stage high water consumption come from manufacture of ethanol from rice. This is being sold as a solution to high import bill in petroleum import, particularly in times of the ongoing Gulf War.
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Yamuna Manthan May 2026: Ken-Betwa Linking Needs Urgent Reassessment
(Featue Image: Protesters express anger by staging symbolic hangings during the protest during April 5 to 16, 2026. Photo: Amit Bhatnagar/DTE)
Fresh protests over the past month by tribal communities affected by the Ken-Betwa River Linking Project have again raised serious concerns about its environmental impact and social costs. The project is going ahead despite questions over its hydrological assessment and environmental, forest and wildlife clearances. Moreover, the govt has not even explored the available cost effective and better alternatives.
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Submission to Karnataka Govt: Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation Strategies for Water Sector
Guest Article by Nirmala Gowda
Under the National Water Mission, the Government of Karnataka conducted a consultation workshop on 24 March 2026 on “Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies for the Water Sector in Karnataka.” Mapping Malnad attended the session and subsequently, along with SAPACC (South Asian People’s Action on Climate Crisis), submitted written comments on the presentation. This is a summary of our submission.
(The background image in the feature photo above is Pandri river, tributary of Kali river, Upstream of Supa Dam in Uttara Kannada District. Photo taken by the author.)
DRP 110526: Fast spreading impacts of climate crisis
(Feature Image: Binnu river a tributary of Ramganga in Deghat, Almora. SANDRP)
Interestingly, there are a number of developments this week related to climate crisis from at least four states/ Union Territories of Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, even if we do not include in these other directly or indirectly related developments. These show how fast the impacts of climate crisis across the country are spreading and the number of different sectors are increasingly getting involved in the climate crisis. All these are related to water related issues.
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Interview on Interlinking of Rivers: An idea delinked from realities
Q. The government has chalked out an ambitious National Perspective Plan(NPP) for Water Resource De elopement which will interlink 37 rivers whose cost will run into over Rs10 lakh crores. This scheme has been vehemently opposed by scientists and yet we see the government pushing it through. Whose brain wave is this? Your comments.
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SANDRP 