(Feature Image: Trapped and damaged vehicles at Lakhwar dam site following a landslide on July 11, 2026. Source: Amar Ujala)
The under-construction Lakhwar dam site on the Yamuna river in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand witnessed two landslide incidents within three days in July 2026. Although there was no loss of life, both incidents damaged construction machinery, exposed the risks faced by workers, and revived concerns about slope stability, construction practices and the suitability of building such a large dam in the fragile Himalayan region.
About the Project
Lakhwar Multipurpose project is being built by Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd. (UJVNL), with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) executing the main civil works. The project comprises a 204-metre-high concrete gravity dam, a 300 Mw underground hydropower station and a balancing barrage at Katapathar. The main dam is coming up just 5 km upstream Juddo dam of 120 Mw Vyasi hydro project near Lohari and Lakhwar villages.
Originally approved in 1976, construction began in the late 1980s but was suspended in 1992 due to inter-state disputes over sharing of water benefits and environmental issues. After agreement in Aug. 2018 among the six basin states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh, the project received revised investment clearance in Nov. 2021. The construction work started in Feb. 2023.
Despite being declared a Project of National Importance, the project has experienced significant delays and cost escalation. Its completion deadline has been extended by three years, from 2028 to 2031, while the estimated project cost increased from ₹3,966.51 crore in August 2018 to ₹5,747 crore by September 2021, an increase of nearly 45%.
Two Landslides in Three Days
The first incident occurred on July 9, 2026, during continuous heavy rainfall in the Yamuna Valley. A video that later went viral showed a JCB excavator clearing debris close to a steep hillside. Suddenly, the slope collapsed and rocks and debris rushed towards the machine. The operator ran to safety just seconds before the debris engulfed the work area.
A second and much larger landslide occurred around 10 pm on July 12. Heavy rain triggered another slope failure at the dam construction site, sending huge quantities of debris and boulders into the project area and onto the Delhi–Yamunotri National Highway. According to the company, work had already been suspended because of heavy rainfall warnings and no workers were present at the affected location.
The second landslide caused extensive damage to construction equipment. Media reports said that JCB and Poclain excavators, dumper trucks, drilling machines and a compressor were buried or damaged under debris. Large quantities of mud and rocks also blocked the Delhi–Yamunotri National Highway, disrupting traffic until clearance operations were completed the next morning.
Workers Allege Negligence
The July 9 incident attracted widespread attention after workers questioned why construction continued despite repeated heavy rainfall warnings. According to workers, both the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the district administration had issued weather alerts. Despite this, they alleged that machine operators were asked to continue work near unstable slopes.
In the viral video, a person recording the incident can be heard saying that the General Manager had instructed workers to continue the work even while rocks were falling from the hillside. The video then shows the JCB operator running away after abandoning the machine.
Following the second incident, the Human Rights and RTI Association also accused the construction company of negligence, warning that repeated rockfalls at the project site could eventually lead to a major accident.
Company Response
After the July 9 incident, L&T General Manager A.P. Singh said that debris removal using JCB machines was a routine activity and that all work was carried out following prescribed safety standards.
After the July 12 landslide, the company stated that construction work had already been suspended because of heavy rainfall and no workers were present when the landslide occurred. It also said the damaged machinery had been recovered from the debris.
Meanwhile, UJVNL Public Relations Officer Vimal Dabral described the damage as a normal occurrence during monsoon construction and said only contractor-owned machinery had been affected. The differing explanations have raised questions about whether adequate precautions were taken during periods of intense rainfall.
Concerns over Blasting, Safety
The fresh landslides have revived concerns among local residents over continuous excessive blasting, excavation and hill cutting for the project. After a viral video showing massive blasting work at project site in April 2025, the local people had alleged that excessive blasting was weakening already fragile hill slopes and increasing the risk of landslides in the area.
The incidents have also raised important questions about worker safety, slope monitoring and whether construction should continue during monsoon season. The damage to heavy machinery and disruption of the Delhi–Yamunotri National Highway show that such landslides can threaten both project infrastructure and public safety.
Experts have also warned that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme rainfall events in the Himalaya, making such large infrastructure projects more vulnerable to flash flood, landslide disasters. Such massive interventions in the fragile geology also makes the whole area more vulnerable to disasters.
In fact, a ‘cloudburst’ induced flash flood incident in Aug. 2021 severely affected the Vyasi HEP under construction power house site damaging machinery and road. Then in Aug. 2023, a landslide incident resulted in significant damages to several houses in Jakhan village located close to Vyasi HEP. Similarly, this April 2019 field visit report has documented active landslides, unscientific muck dumping, riverbed mining and other environmental violations happening at the Lakhwar dam and Vyasi project sites.
The back-to-back landslides at Lakhwar underline the need for independent safety audits, transparent investigations, continuous slope monitoring, stricter monsoon construction protocols and a comprehensive review of geological and slope stabilization measures before construction progresses further.
SANDRP
Also see SANDRP previous blogs on the Lakhwar Dam and Vyasi HEP:
Lakhwar Dam Project: Why It Should Not Go Ahead Experts and concerned citizens cited absence of credible environmental and social appraisal, valid statutory clearances and public consultation reasons behind not to push the giant dam. They warned that the 204-metre-high dam, along with the Vyasi Dam and Katapathar Barrage, would submerge 1,385 hectares, including 868 hectares of forest land and affect at least 50 villages. The statement also highlighted the project’s location in a highly seismic and landslide-prone Himalayan region, the lack of a cumulative impact assessment, and called for fresh environmental, hydrological and geological studies before proceeding.
Yamuna Fighting Existential Battle in the Homeland This article discusses how the Lakhwar Dam, Vyasi HEP and Katapathar Barrage threaten the upper Yamuna, warning that over 50 km of the river would be impounded in reservoirs, barrages and tunnels, causing an “existential crisis” for the river. It also highlights concerns about muck dumping, landslides, inadequate environmental flows and poor rehabilitation of affected villages.
Vyasi Hydro Is Draining Muck and Rs 40 Lakh Geo Jute Work into Yamuna SANDRP reported that heavy monsoon rains washed large quantities of construction muck and geo-jute erosion control works, worth about ₹40 lakh, from the Vyasi HEP muck dumping site into the Yamuna river. The report alleged that poor slope stabilization, inadequate muck disposal and weak environmental safeguards led to repeated dumping of debris into the river. It also questioned the effectiveness of the project’s environmental management measures and highlighted the continuing ecological impacts on the Yamuna. The report called for accountability, stronger compliance with environmental conditions and independent monitoring of the project.
Vyasi Hydro: Village Drowned; River Dried but little power generation This describes the 120 MW Vyasi HEP as an example of the ecological and social costs of poorly planned hydropower projects in the Himalaya. The report noted that Lohari village was submerged, the Yamuna downstream of the dam was left with inadequate environmental flows, and the project was generating much less electricity than its installed capacity due to insufficient river flows. It also highlighted impacts on fish, irrigation, river ecology and the safety of downstream communities caused by artificial flow fluctuations. The report called for greater accountability and a re-evaluation of hydropower planning in the fragile Himalayan region.
SANDRP 