Month: June 2024
DRP NB 170624: Sardar Sarovar Power House to operate to reduce Dam Water level in anticipation of surplus rains: Welcome, but…
(Feature Image: Sardar Sarovar Dam. Image Source: The Economic Times, Sept. 2022)
The news this week that SSNNL has decided to operate the 1200 MW River Bed Power House and the 250 MW Canal Head Power house to reduce the water level in Dam from 122.28 meters on June 14 to around 115 m before the monsoon inflows start, in anticipation of the above average rainfall anticipated during SW Monsoon 2024 is welcome. One hopes this is sign of SSNNL, Gujarat Government and the Narmada Control Authority have learnt some lessons after the avoidable flood disasters brought by SSP in 2023 and earlier in 2019 and 2020, as revealed by SANDRP’s analysis in each of these years.
One hopes this is not just one-off ad-hoc decisions, but part of a systemic change. This will require an integrated basin level reservoir operation policy including all the major dams of the Narmada Valley and put it out in public domain along with clearly defined Standard Operating Procedure, and names of the responsible officials for each of such major dam in the basin. The Central Water Commission will also need to be held accountable for its flood forecasting including the 7-day advance forecasts.
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Secret of Goa River Network’s success: Fight Collectively, Consistently to stop the menace of illegal sand mining
(Feature Image: Illegal sand extraction in Mandovi river in late evening hours at Amona village on Dec. 12, 2022. Image Credit: GRSPN)
The Goa River Sand Protector Network (GRSPN) has been doing exemplary work in checking adverse impacts of unsustainable and illegal sand mining in Goa rivers. This interview with Adv. Viraj Bakre, one of its key members, highlights the impact of the network’s work, struggle, successes and suggestions for river activists fighting against riverbed mining menace in the country.
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Photo Blog: Chasing Streams, Springs of Asan River in Dehradun
(Feature Image: Asan river flowing through residential areas of Sevala Kalan upstream Chandrabani temple)
Despite being an important tributary to the Yamuna River in Shivalik hills of Dehradun, the Asan appears among the least explored and documented rivers. While, most of the people believe and even available online maps depict Chandrabani temple as origin place of the Asan, a field visit to track the river course reveals some interesting information.
This part one of photo blog documents the river course in its founding catchment sharing pictures and our field observations about the river’s origin place, past history and present situation. The second part of the photo blog will cover the remaining length of the river lying between Chandrabani temple and Asan barrage.
DRP NB 100624: Global research suggests: shun big dams, big hydro
(Feature Image: 120 Mw Vyasi HEP dam on Yamuna river in Vikas Nagar, Dehradun. SANDRP/June 2024)
Two separate reports this week shows why we need to shun big dams, big hydro. The New York Times, based on several research papers have said that unstable water cycles are making big hydropower projects unreliable. This is clear this year from a number of countries, including India, China, Canada, Turkey and Ecuador among others. The report also emphasizes the loss of biodiversity, methane emissions, submergence, among other issues plaguing the hydropower projects.
Another report quoting Stanford University study says that big reservoirs cannot meet future water storage needs and we need to go for alternative, nature-based storage options. Alternative storage options like soil moisture, aquifers and local water systems. Such storage options also provide “the critical synergy between water infrastructure, climate adaptation, and agricultural resilience.”
Both are highly eminently relevant for India. When will we start adopting such options?
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Yamuna Manthan 050624: Time to review UYRB to address Delhi water crisis & save river
(Feature Image: River Yamuna at Panipat on June 05, 2024. Photo by Rakesh Gautam)
In the wake of water crisis in Delhi, the Supreme Court on June 3, 2024 has directed Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) to convene urgent meeting on June 5, 2024 and submit status report in the court by June 6, 2024. The direction came following Delhi government claim that the state of Himachal Pradesh is ready to share surplus water with it and for that it required cooperation from Haryana government. The outcome would hopefully be known by the evening on June 5 2024.
Given the prevailing political equations among the basin states, there is uncertainty whether the board would be able to effectively resolve the issue. The UYRB suffers from some flaws in formation and functioning. The board is working in an opaque manner. Presently its website is inaccessible and meeting minutes are not in public domain. It is also reportedly crippled by shortage of staff as against originally sanctioned post of 58, it is currently functioning with just 5 officials.
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DRP NB 030624: Ecological challenges before the new govts in Sikkim & Arunachal
(Feature Image: Anti dam graffiti on the wall of the civil secretariat building in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh in July 2022. Source: Social Media)
As the Hindustan Times Editorial today (June 3, 2024) has rightly underlined, a major challenge before the newly elected state governments in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh is to urgently review the existing, under construction and planned mega hydropower projects in the fragile Himalayan ecology in these border states.
These states are inherently vulnerable to large kinds of disasters including landslides, earthquakes, erosion, floods, GLOFs and also multi hazard disasters. These inherent vulnerabilities are already hugely increased under climate crisis. The large hydropower projects being taken up here are acting as force multipliers for disasters in these states as recent experience including the Oct 2023 events in both states have shown.
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May 2024: Another landslide at NHPC’s Lower Subansiri HEP leads to death, destruction
The controversial 2000 MW Lower Subansiri Hydropower Project of NHPC has suffered yet another landslide disaster in which one worker has died. The project has suffered damages, but the project authorities have not informed the people the reasons for this landslides, nor extent of damage and implications for project future. Project is already much delayed and after massive landslide in April and Oct 2023, its commissioning has been majorly rescheduled from earlier projected 2023-24 to now 2025-26 or subsequent date. The implications of these on the project cost and cost of electricity from the project are not known, not made public by NHPC.
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Pre Monsoon 2024 season: District wise rainfall in India
In the just concluded three month pre monsoon season (March 1 to May 31, 2024) India received 125.9 mm (146.6 mm in Pre Monsoon 2023[i]) rainfall, 4% below (12% above in per monsoon 2023) the normal rainfall of 130.6 mm as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD). In 2020[ii] , 2021[iii] and 2022[iv] India received 158.5 mm, 155.2 mm and 130.6 or 20% above normal, 18% above normal and 1% below rainfall respectively. So this year, India has received the lowest pre monsoon season rainfall compared to that those in previous four years.
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SANDRP 