Yamuna Floodplain: Will DDA Review Riverfront Projects or Continue Ad-hoc Experiments?

September 19, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Entrance of flooded Asita East project site on Sept. 05, 2025. Credit: Surendar Solanki)

First the July 2023 and now the September 2025 flood spells in Yamuna has inundated and affected several of DDA’s beautification projects being developed on the Yamuna floodplain over past 8 years. These projects were earlier labelled as part of floodplain rejuvenation but now are being termed as riverfront projects. The violations of norms, ambiguity in progress, potential detrimental impacts on floodplain eco-system, vulnerability to flood damages make it necessary that DDA critically review the projects at this stage rather than continue to waste public money and damage to floodplain in an ad-hoc manner. A photo blog showing impact inf Sept. 2025 floods on these projects can be seen here.

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floodplains · Floods · Urban Flood · Urban Rivers · Yamuna River

Yamuna Photo Blog Sept 2025: ‘Riverfront’ Projects submerged Again

September 18, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Entrace of Asita West projects flooded with Yamuna water on Sept. 05. 2025. Credit: Surendar Solanki)

Through pictures and satellite imagery, this blog documents the impact of Sept. 2025 Yamuna flood on Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) riverfront projects. These 10 projects are being developed over the past 8 years in river floodplain and had also suffered damages during July 2023 floods. Earlier they were called part of floodplain rejuvenation but now being termed as Yamuna riverfront projects. DDA website has only shown name, size and location of riverfront projects, however has maintained secrecy on important factors of cost, progress, delays, damage and losses concerning these projects.

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Dams, Rivers & People

DRP 150925: Flawed, dishonest Kalai-II HEP EIA

September 15, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

It’s heartening to see the Editorial in Arunachal Times (see below) about the flawed, dishonest, cut and paste Environment Impact Assessment report of the Kalai-II Hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh. NEHR has written about this to the Anjaw district Deputy Commissioner and one hopes the DC has the courage to take appropriate action: Halt the public hearing and ask the project proponent to get a proper EIA done by a competent and honest consultant. WAPCOS Ltd, which has done the current flawed EIA has been known to do such flawed EIAs on numerous occasions in the past as we have written about it and also informed the MoEF, Expert Appraisal Committee on River Valley Committee, without any impact so far unfortunately.

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Rainfall

Aug 2025: High Rainfall days in India’s districts

September 13, 2025September 13, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

An analysis of the daily district wise rainfall data from India Meteorological Department (IMD) for the month of Aug 2025 shows that there were 664 (717 in Aug 2024; 500 in Aug 2023; 667 in Aug 2022[i] and 431 in Aug 2021) instances when rainfall of a day in a district was above 50 mm. Such high rainfall instances included 563 (572/ 424/ 553/ 371 in Aug 2024, Aug 2023, Aug 2022 and Aug 2021 respectively) instances when rainfall was 50-100 mm; 79 (113/ 67/ 98/ 48 in Aug 2024, Aug 2023, Aug 2022 and Aug 2021 respectively) instances when it was 100-150 mm; 13 (19/ 5/ 13/ 11 in Aug 2024, Aug 2023, Aug 2022 and Aug 2021 respectively) times it was 150-200 mm; and 9 (13/ 4/ 3/ 1 in Aug 2024, Aug 2023, Aug 2022 and Aug 2021 respectively) instance when a district day rainfall was above 200 mm.

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Rainfall

June Aug 2025: District wise rainfall in India’s SW Monsoon

September 12, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

In Aug 2025, India received just 268.8 mm (295.5 mm or 15.8% above normal in Aug 2024 [i], 162.7 mm or 36.2% below normal in Aug 2023 [ii], 263.8 mm in Aug 2022, 3.5% above the normal [iii]) or 5.45% above normal rainfall of 254.9 mm as per India Meteorological department (IMD). In Aug 2021, the rainfall was 195.9 mm [iv], about 24.13% below normal and in Aug 2020, the rainfall was 327 mm [v], or about 26.6% above normal.

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Dam Disaster · Dam Induced Flood Disaster · Dam Safety · Dams, Rivers & People

Sept. 2025: Six Killed in Luti Dam Flood Disaster in Chhattisgarh

September 10, 2025September 10, 2025 SANDRP1 Comment

(Feature Image: Damaged Sadsa Luti dam in Balrampur)

A flash flood disaster caused by a significant breach in Luti dam bund has killed six people while one remained missing in Dhaneshpur village near Vishram Nagar under Balrampur district of Chhattisgarh. Six of the flood victims are members of a single family living about 500 meter downstream from the dam area. About eleven villagers were swept away by strong current of waters. Some of them managed to save their lives by holding on to trees and swimming to their safety. Three persons also suffered injuries in this dam induced flood incident.

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Disasters · floodplains · Floods · Yamuna River

Sept 2025: Why did Yamuna Repeat July 2023 Like Flood Spell in Delhi?

September 9, 2025September 15, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: NDRF team gazing at flooded relief camps at Yamuna bazar, Delhi)

In first week of September 2025, Yamuna river in Delhi has again witnessed another unusual flood spell. This is happening two years after the river recorded unprecedent flood event in July 2023. This report compares the July 2023 flood with the one in Sept 2025 underlining the probable factors making these deluges uncommon and man-made flood disaster.

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Climate Change · Disasters · Environmental Laws · Himalayas

DRP 080925: Will the higher judiciary Listen?

September 8, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Seraj valley in Mandi district of Himachal battered by extreme weather events in July 2025)

Well known environmentalist Manshi Asher through the following article is giving a very important message that everyone, particularly Judiciary needs to listen and act upon. While higher judiciary is rightly highly respected, its track record on acting on environmental issues is far from satisfactory and leaves a lot to be desired.

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Dams

Sept 2025: 5 die when Kadana dam water release floods Gujarat Hydro project

September 7, 2025September 14, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

At around 3 pm on Sept 4, in a major disaster, water gushed into under repair power house of 12 MW Ajanta hydropower plant on Mahi river near Tatroli village in Mahisagar district of Gujarat. The project is located on Dolatpur weir of Kadana dam on Mahi River, about 20 km downstream of the dam. Out of about 15 workers present, five are missing and so far one dead body have been found on Friday evening. Rest of the workers could escape and save them themselves. The project had faced damaging disaster earlier too. The water seems to have come from the discharge of huge quantity of water from upstream Kadana dam. The project owning company was also involved in the Morbi Bridge disaster earlier.

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Dam Induced Flood Disaster

Punjab Floods 2025: Role of Bhakra, Pong and Ranjit Sagar Dams

September 7, 2025September 8, 2025 SANDRP3 Comments

Every dam can potentially help moderate floods to some extent in the downstream area. This is possible only when the dam is operated with that objective in mind. However, when the dam is NOT operated with that objective and is filled up as soon as there is water available, the same dam can in fact bring avoidable flood disaster in the downstream area.

This is exactly what has happened in Punjab ONCE AGAIN during the 2025 SW Monsoon. This has happened on numerous occasions in the past including in 1978, 1988 and 2023, for example.

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