(Powerhouse of a hydro project ravaged by cloudburst induced flashflood in Sutlej basin Shimla, Himachal Pradesh in Aug 2024. Image Source: Social Media)

This 2024 annual overview focusses on important reports highlighting the safety and sustainability issues of the hydro and dam projects in India in 2024 in the context of Climate Change, including Glacier melt and GLOFs. The compilation shows that the climate change driven extreme weather events have become significant threat for the structural safety of these projects.

This is even more relevant in inherently vulnerable areas like the Himalayas and Western Ghats from the point of view of seismic activity, young erosion prone mountain, flash floods, avalanches and landslides. Here the impact of climate change effects like more intensified hydrological cycles, cloud bursts, reduction in snow fall, glacier melts and GLOF (Glacier Lake Outburst Flood) increase the vulnerability including landslide dams and avalanche dams.

Continue reading “2024: Climate Change, GLOF impact on Safety of Hydro, Dams in India” →