Rajasthan: SC Banned Riverbed Mining through 2018: Centre & State Show No Concern

January 27, 2019February 13, 2019 SANDRPLeave a comment

On November 16, 2017, the Supreme Court (SC) of India, prohibited 82 large lease holders from mining sand and stone activities in absence of scientific replenishment study. The ban continued all through the year of 2018 and so were the incidents of illegal sand mining and violent attacks on police officials.

The ban has reportedly hampered some development projects. The prices of sand has increased. Meanwhile the mining department is seen making efforts in exploring Manufactured Sand (M-Sand) as an alternative though it seems there is not much success as yet.

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Ithikkara River in Kerala: Tampering with Nature – a recipe for negative NPV

January 25, 2019January 25, 2019 SANDRPLeave a comment

Guest Blog by Jacob Chandy Varghese (jacob.c.varghese@gmail.com)

An Old Story: I read an account about Netherlands in the journal, Annals of Botany (2010)[i] . This story dates from the 11^th century. Many centuries ago, the coastal plain of the Netherlands consisted of a dynamic landscape of meandering river channels, extensive floodplains and large complexes of fens and bogs. Sediment deposition and peat formation kept pace with the gradually rising sea level, so that the level of the land remained well above the water for most of the time. Since 11^th century, inhabitants of the low-countries started to modify the hydrology of their surroundings to create protection from flooding for their dwellings and agricultural fields. They built dikes and started to manipulate the water level. Continue reading “Ithikkara River in Kerala: Tampering with Nature – a recipe for negative NPV” →

Sand Mining

Punjab Sand Mining 2018 Overview: SAD SAGA OF STATE FAILURE

January 25, 2019February 27, 2019 SANDRP2 Comments

SANDRP has been preparing and presenting the annual overview of sand mining sector for past three years. The issue of illegal sand mining is growing significantly adversely impacting the rivers and dependent communities. The respective governments are also under pressure to regulate the riverbed mining. There is noticeable increase in court cases and judicial interventions.

This year, we are presenting the overview in a state wise format for some key states where the issues are more intense. We start with Punjab state.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP: 21 Jan 2019: NGT Asks For Audit of Pollution Control Regulation, But Fails on EIA

January 21, 2019February 26, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

Two interesting orders from National Green Tribunal (NGT) marked important developments on water-environment issues this week. NGT asking for PERFORMANCE AUDIT of pollution Control Mechanism is indeed long overdue necessity, considering the complete, abject failure of the pollution control mechanism in India. The hopes of effective action, like in the past, however, were dashed since CPCB, which is PART OF THE PROBLEM has been asked to do the audit. An independent audit, in addition to one possibly by CAG may have helped. https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/ngt-slams-state-pollution-bodies/article26008687.ece (17 Jan. 2019)

Whatever positive signs were available by this order were further dashed by another NGT order in which it declared that EIAs (Environmental Impact Assessment) reports are already taking climate change into account, while the tribunal dismissed a petition asking that all development activities be screened/ regulated keeping climate change in mind.

This is totally WRONG contention. Just to illustrate, SANDRP has been pointing out to the EAC, MoEF and the developers how the EIAs of dams and hydropower projects are ignoring the climate change related issues and impacts. In response the consultants and developers have responded, approved by the silent or spoken nods by the EAC and MoEF that these were not even part of their TORs! One only wishes NGT was most discerning before making such claims and would have gone through a few EIAs to see if at all EIAs are dealing with these issues with any rigour or credibility. https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/climate-change-already-covered-under-environment-impact-assessment-ngt-119011600897_1.html (16 Jan. 2019)

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP: 14 Jan 2019: Will the campaign of 17-yr old Alappad Girl Wake us up to the perils of unsustainable sand mining?

January 14, 2019February 26, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

The coastline between Chavara and Alappad in Kollam district of Kerala, has a decades-long story of people’s battle for survival against mining companies. This stretch in Kerala is where the extensive mineral beach sand mining has been happening since the 1960s. The abandoned buildings are the remains of people’s failed agitations and indefinite strikes. One by one the villages in the area are vanishing from the map of Kerala.

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Water

Uffrenkhal’s Legacy of Recharge Pits Ensures Water Security

January 12, 2019January 31, 2019 SANDRPLeave a comment

Inspiring tale of three villages in Thalisain tehsil (Pouri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand) which have been putting in sustained efforts for years in creating recharge pits, plantation and forest protection that has ultimately resulted in revival of water sources and Gadganga a small stream part of East Nayaar River basin. Continue reading “Uffrenkhal’s Legacy of Recharge Pits Ensures Water Security” →

DRP News Bulletin

DRP: 7 Jan 2019: NGT REJECTS FLAWED GROUNDWATER NOTIFICATION

January 7, 2019February 26, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

Good to see NGT rejecting the flawed Groundwater notification dated Dec 12, 2018 from CGWA that was also critiqued by SANDRP: https://sandrp.in/2018/12/31/groundwater-governance-why-dec-12-2018-cgwa-notification-would-be-disastrous/. However, NGT should have asked an independent panel to formulate the policy for sustainable groundwater use, rather than a committee of the same government persons. Besides, there is also need for restructuring of currently totally ineffective CGWA and make it COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT of government.

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Ganga

East Nayaar River: The Scenic Stream of Ganga in Trouble

January 5, 2019January 5, 2019 SANDRP2 Comments

The East and West Nayaar rivers[i] of Uttrakhand are small natural streams feeding the National River. They may meet the fate of Ganga and Yamuna, if the current trend damaging them remain unchecked. This pictorial report highlights the plight and beauty of East Nayaar river. The River is also spelt as NAYAR by a number of documents.

Degradation of Ganga river and its big tributaries gets adequate attention amongst concerned, while such small natural streams feeding the National River, largely remains absent in the mind and memory of stakeholders.

These perennial streams are making the River Ganga living and flowing in founding basin area. They seem healthy and living, however the problems of dumping of solid and liquid waste, construction debris, road cutting, water abstraction and hydro projects are rapidly catching up with the smaller streams.

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Drought · Rainfall

More bad water news: 2018 Post monsoon rains 44% below normal

January 1, 2019April 26, 2019 SANDRP4 Comments

Even as large parts of India are facing drought, following deficit North West Monsoon, there is more bad news that farmers already know and experience. The rainfall in the three post monsoon months, from Oct 1 to Dec 31, 2018 at all India level has been 71.2 mm, which is 44% below normal rainfall of 127.2 mm. While the quantum of rainfall in these months is not expected to be high except in some South Indian areas, it is crucial for providing life saving and life sustaining moisture for the Rabi crop. It was particularly important since the second half of the South West monsoon was significantly below normal in large parts of Central and South India[i]. These same areas are experiences biggest deficits in Oct-Dec rains. Continue reading “More bad water news: 2018 Post monsoon rains 44% below normal” →

Dams · DRP News Bulletin

DRP: 31 Dec 2018: China Built Ecuador Dam, Advt For What Dam Can Do To River, Environment, Nation & Future

December 31, 2018February 26, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

Best Advertisement of What Dam Building can do. Great Expose by NYT: “The dam sits under the glare of an active volcano, with columns of ash spewing toward the sky. Officials had warned against the dam for decades. Geologists said an earthquake could wipe it away. Now, only two years after opening, thousands of cracks are splintering the dam’s machinery. Its reservoir is clogged with silt, sand and trees.

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