Nominations for BPS-2017 & Shri Anupam Mishra Memorial Medal-2017 Invited

August 31, 2017August 31, 2017 SANDRPLeave a comment

Dear All,

Greetings from the India Rivers Week (IRW) Organising Committee!

This is to request for nominations for Bhagirath Prayaas Samman (BPS) 2017.

As you will recall BPS is an attempt to acknowledge and celebrate outstanding, inspirational, unsung initiatives in river conservation.

This year we are also initiating Shri Anupam Mishra Memorial Medal to celebrate media professionals who have established an exceptional body of credible work on various aspects of rivers leading to changes in behaviour, public discourse, law and policy. Self nominations will also be considered.

Please find attached the announcement and the nomination forms.

PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO SURESH BABU TO GET THE ATTACHMENT MENTIONED HERE suresh@wwfindia.net , BPS Call for nominations 2017.

Last date for nominations: September 25, 2017. A jury will take decision about the final awardees based on set of criteria.

Continue reading “Nominations for BPS-2017 & Shri Anupam Mishra Memorial Medal-2017 Invited” →

Dams

Loud Media Message: Public hearing of Pancheshwar Dam is illegal

August 30, 2017August 30, 2017 SANDRP1 Comment

Before, during and after the controversial public hearing of destructive Pancheshwar Dam, held in three districts in Uttarakhand, wide media reports in print, in audio-visual and social media gave a loud and clear message: The public hearings violated all legal and democratic norms, in letter and spirit and were clearly illegal.

The Pancheshwar multipurpose project has generated much controversy in India and in Nepal. Its Environment Public Hearing (EPH) was held on August 9, 11 and 17 at Champawat, Pithoragarh and Almora in Uttarakhand. Held during monsoon season in disaster prone hilly region they have invited sharp criticism from all concerned.

There have been scores of reports by local and national media revealing the significant environmental issues being compromised by concerned authorities. We have compiled some key media reports here to illustrate, how clear is the message from all media that the public hearing, the EIA and the project itself involves so many violations of law and democratic norms. They are clearly unacceptable.

Continue reading “Loud Media Message: Public hearing of Pancheshwar Dam is illegal” →

Dams · DRP News Bulletin

DRP New Bulletin 28 August 2017 (Need for Policy on Equitable Sharing of River Flow)

August 28, 2017August 28, 2017 SANDRP1 Comment

Krishna River Water Sharing Dispute The Andhra Pradesh government is contemplating a legal battle against the Maharashtra and Karnataka governments for denying the “rightful share” of Krishna river water to the state.

As per DU Rao, Water Resources Minister, Andhra Pradesh, State Government is consulting legal experts to file either a special leave petition or public interest litigation in the Supreme Court against Maharashtra and Karnataka for withholding water in river Krishna and depriving the lower riparian state of its rightful share. The minister also said that upper riparian states are not releasing water even as a humanitarian gesture to meet drinking water needs.

The minister further stated that due to abundant rains, reservoirs on river Krishna in Maharashtra and Karnataka were filled to the brim. Both these states have a total of 275 tmc ft of water stored in their reservoirs, but they are not letting out even one tmc ft to lower riparian states like Telangana and Andhra and instead taking cover under tribunals, those states are fully utilising the water.

It will really be a good case if they draft it well. The Maharashtra and Karnataka parts of Krishna basin have stored 275 TMC of water and Maharashtra is also diverting water from Krishna basin to high rainfall Konkan area this monsoon, but not releasing any water to downstream Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/220817/ap-mulls-moving-sc-against-maharashtra-karnataka-over-krishna-water.html

Continue reading “DRP New Bulletin 28 August 2017 (Need for Policy on Equitable Sharing of River Flow)” →

Dams

Pancheshwar Dam’s Public Hearing: Neither People nor Environment were heard

August 25, 2017August 25, 2017 SANDRPLeave a comment

The recently concluded Pancheshwar dam Environment Public Hearing (EPH) is classic example of how undemocratically EPH are conducted against the letter and spirit of EIA notification of Sept 2006. Umpteen violations were committed wilfully during three EPH on Pancheshwar Dam on 09, 11 and 17 August 2017 in Champawat, Pithoragarh and Almora district of Uttarakhand.

WHY EPHs IN MONSOON? In July 2017, the proposed Pancheshwar Dam Project planned on Kali river along the India-Nepal border invited sharp criticisms from local groups. Given the ongoing monsoon rain across the disaster prone hills, the people asked the concerned District Magistrates and Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEPPCB) for the rescheduling[I] the EPH. But overlooking genuine public concerns and incidents of cloud bursts and landslides causing flash floods and road blocks in the project affected districts the authorities went ahead with the EPH plans.

Continue reading “Pancheshwar Dam’s Public Hearing: Neither People nor Environment were heard” →

Ganga

INTACH pilot project reduces Assi River Pollution in Varanasi by 70% in two months, at least cost, without any structures

August 22, 2017August 22, 2017 SANDRP7 Comments

Above: Map showing interventions in Assi River in Varanasi (INTACH)

REPORT TO DIVISIONAL COMMISSIONER, VARANASI

On INTACH’s Pilot Project on Assi Nadi [24^th Jan/17 – 26^th Feb/17]

Guest Blog by Manu Bhatnagar, INTACH

INTACH is a national non-profit organization, a registered society under Society’s Act since 1984, having the Secretaries of the GoI Ministries of Environment, Forest & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Culture, DG [ASI] and DG [NM] on its Governing Council with its accounts duly audited by the Office of CAG.
High pollution load in holy River Ganga at Varanasi is due to domestic wastewater flowing into the river through 33 nallahs and rivulets. Sewerage systems and treatment plants are going to take several years to be in place and effective. In the meantime the river will continue to remain polluted. Based on its experience in Delhi and Agra INTACH has initiated a one month pilot project for cleaning wastewater flow in Assi Nadi using the process of bacterial bioremediation.

Continue reading “INTACH pilot project reduces Assi River Pollution in Varanasi by 70% in two months, at least cost, without any structures” →

Dams · DRP News Bulletin

DRP News Bulletin 21 August 2017 (Unscientific Obsession With Dredging)

August 21, 2017August 22, 2017 SANDRP1 Comment

It seems the Chief Ministers of all the flood affected states are obsessed about dredging the rivers and reservoirs and are advocating massive scale dredging as a solution to flooding. This is partly triggered by the Rivers-as-waterways advocacy by Union Surface Transport Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari and partly by the need for showing to the people that they are doing something new to tackle floods, it seems. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar contributed to it in a way last year when he mentioned the accumulation of millions of tons of silt along Ganga due to the backwater impact of Farakka Dam. This year, the Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal[i] has been talking about dredging Brahmaputra as a solution to floods in Assam.

Continue reading “DRP News Bulletin 21 August 2017 (Unscientific Obsession With Dredging)” →

Dams

पंचेश्वर बॉध की अनुचित, अन्यायपूर्ण एवं गैरकानूनी पर्यावरण जनसुनवाई रद्द हो

August 20, 2017August 21, 2017 SANDRPLeave a comment

Featured Image: Saryu River winding through Pithoragarh by Sumit Mahar, HIMDHARA

This is Hindi version of SANDRP petition submitted to District Magistrate Almora, Pithoragarh and Regional Official, Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board, Uttarakhand pleading them to postpone the unfair and unjust public hearing of Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project on Mahakali River. The English version of same can be seen here https://sandrp.wordpress.com/2017/08/10/cancel-pancheshwar-dam-public-hearings-it-involves-too-many-violations-and-illegalities/

भीम सिंह रावत, सैनड्रप,

we4earth@gmail.com, https://sandrp.wordpress.com/

पंचेश्वर बॉध पर्यावरण जनसुनवाई,

अल्मोडा, उत्तराखण्ड, 17 अगस्त 2017

सेवा में,

अध्यक्ष पंचेश्वर बॉध पर्यावरण जनसुनवाई,

एवं जिलाधिकारी, अल्मोडा उत्तराखण्ड

dm-alm-ua@nic.in

अध्यक्ष क्षेत्रीय कार्यालय प्रभारी

उत्तराखण्ड पर्यावरण सुरक्षा एवं प्रदूषण निंयत्रण बोर्ड देहरादून,

dkjoshi21@yahoo.com

आदरणीय पंचेश्वर बॉध पर्यावरण जनसुनवाई अधिकारिक सदस्य दल,

आज पंचेश्वर बॉध परियोजना की अल्मोडा जिले में तय तीसरी एवं अंतिम पर्यावरण जनसुनवाई, पूरी तरह से पर्यावरण प्रभाव आकलन Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) राजपत्र 2006 के नियमों के विपरीत है। अतः इस जनसुनवाई को निरस्त कर, प्रभावित गॉववासियों से समोचित चर्चा के बाद, भविष्य में यथोचित स्थान पर जनसुनवाई कि जानी चाहिए।

इस जनसुनवाई को निरस्त करने के अनेक कारणों में से कुछ मूल कारणों को निम्नांकित किया जा रहा है। Continue reading “पंचेश्वर बॉध की अनुचित, अन्यायपूर्ण एवं गैरकानूनी पर्यावरण जनसुनवाई रद्द हो” →

Bihar · Floods · Ganga

Ganga basin faces unprecedented floods in Aug 2017

August 16, 2017August 19, 2017 SANDRPLeave a comment

Ganga Basin, particularly Bihar is facing unprecedented floods, starting on Aug 12, 2017. Water levels of Major tributaries of Ganga, including Kosi, Mahananda, Rapti, Ghagra, Bagmati, Gandak and Kamlabalan are close to or above the historically highest flood levels almost simultaneously. This has rarely happened in the past. The water level of Ghagra is close to HFL at Elgine Bridge in Barabanki district in Uttar Pradesh. Most other flood forecasting sites in North Bihar and East UP were shown as pink dots on CWC flood forecasting map on Aug 13-15, signifying that water level at these sites was above the danger level. This is possibly the beginning, this wave is expected to rise as it travels down towards Bihar and then W Bengal and Bangladesh. Continue reading “Ganga basin faces unprecedented floods in Aug 2017” →

brahmaputra · DRP News Bulletin · Floods · Ganga

DRP News Bulletin 14 August 2017 East & North East India face flooded Independence day

August 14, 2017August 14, 2017 SANDRPLeave a comment

FLOODS 2017

SANDRP BLOG: Brahmaputra basin to face unprecedented floods starting Aug 12, 2017: https://sandrp.wordpress.com/2017/08/12/brahmaputra-basin-faces-unprecedented-flood-wave-in-aug-2017/

North Bengal Flood situation “Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling are the five districts which have been affected by the flood. Earlier in the day, Irrigation Minister Rajib Banerjee said that the state government is tackling the flood in north Bengal on war footing.” 58,000 people had been affected in Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts.

MAY BE IF THEY WOKE TWO DAYS EARLIER WHEN NASA MAP CLEARLY SHOWED THE HEAVY RAINFALL HAVING ALREADY OCCURRED, THEY MAY NOT HAVE HAD TO TACKLE IT ON WAR FOOTING AND A LOT OF DAMAGE COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED? http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/flood-situation-worsening-in-north-bengal-says-mamata-banerjee-1736993 Continue reading “DRP News Bulletin 14 August 2017 East & North East India face flooded Independence day” →

Assam · brahmaputra · Dams · Floods · West Bengal

Brahmaputra basin faces unprecedented flood wave in Aug 2017

August 12, 2017 SANDRP5 Comments

In the morning of Aug 11, 2017, while checking my daily morning routine sites, I saw the sudden appearance of purple patch (signifying rainfall in access of 175 mm rainfall in previous 24 hours) on NASA daily rainfall accumulation map for Indian subcontinent.[i] The purpose patch covered parts of the West Bengal, North East Indian and Bangladesh. I was taken aback, but it was not very unusual to see in the peak of monsoon. So as we usually do, I took a screenshot and put up on SANDRP FB page with a warning that this could lead to floods. I did not realize that this was the beginning of an unprecedented wave of floods for these regions that may extend to Ganga basin as I write this. Such purple patches generally disappear in 24 hours, since the rains do not last to long. However, in the case of current phase, not only the purple patch has last now for 42 hours, it has extended to the west, all along India Nepal region along the southern boundary of Nepal. Continue reading “Brahmaputra basin faces unprecedented flood wave in Aug 2017” →