An analysis of the daily district wise rainfall data from India Meteorological Department (IMD) for June 2026, the first month of India’s South West Monsoon 2026 shows that there were only 197 instances (415 in June 2025, 384 in June 2024[i], 451 in June 2023[ii], 462 in June 2022[iii] and 442 in June 2021) when district rainfall of a day was above 50 mm. The rainfall of India in June 2026 was 99.5 mm, the rainfall of India in June 2025 was 180 mm, the rainfall of India in June 2024 was 147.2 mm[iv], the rainfall in June 2023 was 148.6 mm, the rainfall of India in June 2022 was 152.3 mm[v]. The figures and analysis are based on IMD’s daily district wise rainfall bulletins for the 24 hours ending at 0830 am each day. The numbers are the lowest in 2026 compared to those in last six years. The next high number, 384 in June 2024, is almost double the number in 2026.
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Riverbed stone a source of Life for Patharvat Stone Artisans in Anjani Basin in Mah
Guest Blog by Shreesai Kharat
The Anjani River in Maharashtra is a small, seasonal river. It originates near Achalgaon village in the Bhadgaon taluk of Jalgaon District and flows through more than thirty eight villages before it meets the Girna river, and soon after at very short distance, to the Tapi river, which make a tri-confluence (Triveni Sangam) of these three rivers near the Rameshwar temple. Though Anjani is not a perennial river, it carries water for close to eight months of the year because of the string of small check dams built in the river 7 to 8 years ago. There is no large industry sitting on its banks, which is why very little pollutants enter the river, but are increasing nowadays.
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DRP 170826: Assam Floods: Engineering alone cannot help
(Feature Image: Drone image showing flood situation in Assam. Source: TNIE/ Credit ANI, July 26, 2026)
Among many analyses of the recent Assam Floods, three contrasting ones stand out to illustrate the limitation of supremely confident perspective that engineering alone will solve the problem. One of them is by Mitul Baruah and another one is on edit page of The Times of India on Aug 17 2026. The third one by Arupjyoti Saikia is published in Indian Express. The one in TOI does not look at cultural or historical aspects of floods in Assam, nor the uniqueness of unprecedented upper Assam floods & the reasons behind it. The analysis by Mitul Baruah, in contrast, takes into account all this and in fact comes from lived experience in Majuli. Arupjyoti Saikia, an environmental historian, takes historical perspective.
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Aug 2026: Eight Killed in THDC’s Vishnugad-Pipalkoti HEP Tunnel Disaster
(Feature Image: Rescuers using make shift raft made of plastic drums to search for the missing workers inside flooded Vishnugad-Pipalkoti HEP. Source: Amar Ujala/Aug. 14, 2026)
At least eight workers have been killed in a major disaster inside the tunnel of under-construction Vishnugad Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project (HEP) on Aug. 13, 2026 in Uttarakhand. The incident occurring between 6:30 and 7:00 pm inside the project’s Tail Race Tunnel (TRT) near Mayapur area in Chamoli district, has also left 12 workers injured and two still missing. The rescued workers have sustained fractures and other trauma injuries and are currently under treatment. The disaster happened about 1.5 km inside the 3 km long TRT, being constructed between Durgapur to Siyasain area in Pipalkoti.
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Yamuna Manthan Aug 2026: Floodplains remain under threat
(Feature Image: Map showing the temporal changes in the Yamuna river courses for years 1990, 2007, 2014 and maximum possible/ visible extents of the associated floodplains for years 1807, 1952, 1980, 1990, 2007 and 2014; digitized from the toposheets compiled from Survey of India, IRS 1C LISS III imageries and Google Earth images. Credit: Constriction of the Yamuna River Floodplains within Delhi Region since 19th Century: A Serious Concern)
Three recent studies have once again highlighted both the severe degradation of the Yamuna and the critical role of its floodplain in Delhi. Their findings make it clear that cleaning sewage alone will not revive the river. Protecting natural flows, restoring floodplain connectivity and conserving wetlands are equally important for reducing flood risk, recharging groundwater and sustaining the river’s ecology. Undoubtedly, the Yamuna floodplain has already suffered extensive encroachment, fragmentation and ecological damage due to weak governance.
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Corruption in flood-lines regulation in Pune
In this Photo Blog, we narrate some recent history in flood-lines regulation in Pune that shows how the disasters – including in ongoing 2026 monsoon- are the result of corrupt, non-transparent, unaccountable governance.
The rivers in Maharashtra are seasonal rivers and have their cycles of shrinking and blooming. During dry seasons they shrink and they bloom during monsoon. For instance, the Mutha River in Pune City is one of such river.
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DRP 100826: State of Dam Safety Affairs in India
(Feature Image: Idukki dam in Kerala. Credit: Reju Arnold/ Source: The Week)
The two important developments over the past week have once again highlighted the worrying state of dam safety affairs in India. Firstly, the information shared by Union Jal Shakti Minister on Aug. 03, 2026 in Parliament has revealed that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) has updated Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) for only 735 of the country’s 6,598 completed and operational specified dams as of July 30, 2026.
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July 2026: Rivers Crossing Highest Flood Levels
(Feature Image: Yamuna river at Kalanaur flood monitoring station in Saharanpur on March 31, 2025. SANDRP)
In July 2026, SANDRP has documented Highest Flood Level (HFL) breaches at least at 15 flood monitoring sites of Central Water Commission (CWC) in India. These 15 sites are spread over 7 river basins, with maximum 4 sites in Brahmaputra basin followed by 3 sites each in Brahmani & Baitarani and Mahanadi basin, 2 sites in West Flowing Rivers from Tapi to Tadri basin and at 1 site each in Ganga, Narmada and Tapi river basin.
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DRP 030826: Eight Disasters Hit Himalayan Hydro Projects in Six Weeks
(Feature Image: Flash flood in Chenab valley on July 06, 2026 buried several vehicles at Kwar HEP site in Kishtwar. Source: NDTV)
Over the past one and a half months of the 2026 monsoon season (since June 24), at least eight (& counting) major accidents and disasters have affected hydropower and dam projects across the Himalayan region. In addition, two recurring landslide lakes have emerged as significant hazards that are either linked to HEP construction activities or have the potential to impact downstream hydropower infrastructure. Notably, these incidents span the Teesta, Brahmaputra, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej and Yamuna basins underlining that almost no major Himalayan river basin remains untouched by recurring hydro-related disasters.
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July 2026: Flood Threat from Landslide Lake in Sainj Valley, Himachal Pradesh
(Feature Image: Google Earth image marks locations mentioned in the report along landslide lakes and nearby hydropower infrastructure in the Sainj Valley. The red circle marks the probable location of the landslide lake on Jiva nullah, while the yellow circle indicates the landslide lake that formed on Varshanu nullah in June 2025. The numbered locations represent: (1) 1 MW Jiva Small HEP, (2) 100 MW Sainj HEP powerhouse, (3) 800 MW Parbati-II HEP powerhouse and (4) the dam of the 520 MW Parbati-III HEP.)
Fresh landslides and the continued expansion of a landslide-dammed lake on Jiva nullah in the Sainj Valley of Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, have once again raised concerns over a potential downstream flood disaster. Although no official estimate of the lake’s area or stored water volume has been made public, local residents say the impounded water body has expanded steadily over the past three years.
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SANDRP 