Massive human induced freshwater redistribution with profound consequences A 14-year (April 2002 – March 2016) NASA’s GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) mission[i] has confirmed that a massive redistribution of freshwater is occurring across Earth, with middle-latitude belts drying and the tropics and higher latitudes gaining water supplies. The results, which are probably a combination of the effects of climate change, vast human withdrawals of groundwater, Dams and natural changes, could have profound consequences if they continue. Continue reading “NASA’s GRACE Mission: India on perilous Path of making millions of climate refugees”
Author: SANDRP
DRP: May 14, 2018: THE SHIFTING, ILLUSORY, NON SPECIFIC GOALPOSTS OF GADKARI on GANGA
Union Water Resources Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari claimed in a press conference on May 10, 2018 that by March 2019, 70-80% of Ganga will be cleaned and that by Dec 2019, Ganga will be 10% clean. He did not bother to mention as to at at which place he was referring to, which pollutants he was referring to, and 70-80% was with what reference time point was he referring to. Earlier at the Economic Times Leadership Conclave, he had declared that Ganga WILL BE CLEANED by 80%. Now he has decreased the % and also added qualification, he shall try to. He possibly meant that 70-80% of the allocation of Rs 20000 Crores will be spent by that date, and not necessarily, cleaning the river? This is because when he was specifically asked about low % of the allocated finances spent so far, he said we hope to spend much more this year. But can spending money clean the Ganga River? He also made other claims:
Continue reading “DRP: May 14, 2018: THE SHIFTING, ILLUSORY, NON SPECIFIC GOALPOSTS OF GADKARI on GANGA”
DRP: May 7, 2018: WESTERN GHATS FORESTS ARE VITAL FOR SOUTH WEST MONSOON RAINS IN TAMIL NADU
W Ghats Forests vital for Tamil Nadu SW Monsoon Rains Researchers have found that the dense vegetation in the Western Ghats determines the amount of rainfall that Tamil Nadu gets during the summer monsoon. A team led by Prof. Subimal Ghosh from the Department of Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has found that dense forests of the Western Ghats contribute as much as 40% of moisture to the southwest monsoon rainfall over Tamil Nadu during normal monsoon years. The average contribution is 25-30%. But during monsoon deficit years, the contribution increases to as high as 50%.
Continue reading “DRP: May 7, 2018: WESTERN GHATS FORESTS ARE VITAL FOR SOUTH WEST MONSOON RAINS IN TAMIL NADU”
SOUTH ASIA 2017: MISS YOU, RIVERS & FISH! As Dams and Water sharing dominate
India-Bangladesh-Myanmar face big quake threat A giant fault in the earth’s crust in one of the world’s most densely populated areas could kill tens of millions of people, scientists have warned according to a new paper in the journal Nature Geoscience. Researchers placed hundreds of highly accurate GPS receivers in locations across India, Bangladesh and Myanmar and monitored them over a ten-year period. Now the scientists fear the location is home to a mega-thrust fault which could unleash a 8.2-9.0 magnitude earthquake. More than 140 million people live within a 60-mile area of the potential disaster zone in Bangladesh. The scientists, led by Dr Michael Steckler from Columbia University published their findings in the journal Nature. This is also a warning against major interventions in the North East India. http://www.indiaspend.com/cover-story/india-bangladesh-and-myanmar-face-big-quake-threat-99557, July 19, 2016, http://thenortheasttoday.com/earthquake-of-9-0-magnitude-could-be-unleashed-anytime-from-a-major-fault-underneath-bangladesh/, July 22, 2016, http://www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/ngeo2760.html Continue reading “SOUTH ASIA 2017: MISS YOU, RIVERS & FISH! As Dams and Water sharing dominate”
Australia 2017: Floods due to Dams key issue
Probe into operation of Queensland dam following April 2017 floods YET ANOTHER INSTANCE OF DAM FLOODS IN AUSTRALIA? This time it is Kinchant Dam in Queensland, and it is accused of allowing water level to rise to 103% before starting releases only a day before the floods arrived, worsening the downstream floods. In downstream areas, the internet and text messages were not reaching people, leading to dramatic rescues and avoidable damages. The Queensland government has ordered an independent review of how a dam was operated before floods hit the Eton area in March-April 2017, south of Mackay, sparking dozens of dramatic rescues. https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/probe-into-queensland-dam-after-dramatic-rescues-20170405-gvdxk6.html, https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/exclusive-states-orders-independent-look-at-eton-d/3163103/ 5 April, 2017) Continue reading “Australia 2017: Floods due to Dams key issue”
ASIA-2017: Surplus power, cancelled Hydro and dam risks dominate
SOUTH EAST ASIA Rivers are invaluable INTERESTING QUESTION: HOW MANY DIFFERENT WAYS CAN YOU MEASURE A RIVER? “Perhaps the most important – and largely overlooked – measure of a river is its value to the economy and wellbeing of a nation, a region, and its people. Simply put, large healthy, productive rivers like the Mekong and Ayeyarwady (or Irrawaddy) are unifying geographic features that serve as economic juggernauts, essential to long term growth and in maintaining the quality of life for millions of people.”
“These (FLOOD) benefits are valued annually at US$8-10 billion (K10.8 trillion), while floods in the Lower Mekong basin cause a much lower $60-70 million in damage every year.” “Floods and sediment are the artisans of river systems. If you lose them you are left to human-engineered solutions. That is now the only option for the US government in the Mississippi River. A $50-billion program has just been launched to rehabilitate the Mississippi delta. Conserving the natural processes that created it in the first place would have been a much more cost efficient option.” https://www.mmtimes.com/news/rivers-are-invaluable-south-east-asia.html Continue reading “ASIA-2017: Surplus power, cancelled Hydro and dam risks dominate”
AFRICA-2017: Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on NILE remains the focus
Grand Renaissance Dam A new dam on the Nile faces threats from warming Climate change could play a role in exacerbating water conflict in Africa, like worsening geopolitical wrangling over issues like the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The 6,450 MW hydropower project that’s nearing completion just 12 miles from the Ethiopia-Sudan border, has been a point of contention in the region. Scientists estimate a 50 percent increase in the flow variation from year to year, meaning that the basin could be flooded one year and experience a drought the next, along with a 10 to 15 percent increase in the annual flow of the river. It’s surprising that these kind of articles look at only one storage option: Large dam. WHY do they not look at other storage options? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-new-dam-on-the-nile-reveals-threats-from-warming/ Continue reading “AFRICA-2017: Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on NILE remains the focus”
EUROPE-2017: Dam Removal, Hydro Threats & Cancellations, River Restoration in focus
FRANCE Largest dam removal project of the continent launched With thousands of proposed dams threatening Europe’s few remaining free flowing rivers, France’s decision to remove two large dams could signal the start of a new era on the continent – with countries focusing on reviving their rivers and on large scale dam decommissioning rather than construction.
With France leading the way, countries from Spain to Finland have taken down many small and obsolete dams in recent years, but freeing up the Selune represents the largest dam removal project so far in Europe – and a major step towards bringing life back to the river, including wild salmon and eel whose migrations have been blocked by the dams for decades. http://www.eubusiness.com/focus/17-11-212 Continue reading “EUROPE-2017: Dam Removal, Hydro Threats & Cancellations, River Restoration in focus”
DRP: 30 April 2018: Paani Foundation expands to 4000 villages in Maharashtra
Paani Foundation work in 4000 villages in Maharashtra Aamir Khan (Satyamev Jayate) and Kiran Rao’s Paani Foundation has been running inter-village competition for water related work each year since 2016. Directed by Satyajit Bhatkal, the competition in which no one loses out, as Aamir says, 116 villages in 3 talukas of Maharashtra participated in 2016. Next year, 30 taluksa and over 1300 villages participated and this year over 4000 villages from 75 talukas are participating. He also tries to involve Urban people through Chala Gaavi (almost 25000 people came) and this year on May 1 Jal Mitra Maha Shramdaan, with about 1.3 lakh volunteering.
ANY ONE HAS ANY INDEPENDENT THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS, INCLUDING OBSERVATIONS FROM GROUND about appropriateness, longevity, sustainability and equity? http://www.thehindu.com/society/aamir-khans-paani-foundations-water-conservation-efforts/article23696288.ece
Continue reading “DRP: 30 April 2018: Paani Foundation expands to 4000 villages in Maharashtra”
Review of fascinating Dams, Rivers related developments in American continent in 2017
Brazil Announces the End of Mega-Dams in the Amazon The Brazilian government has announced it will stop building mega-dams in the Amazon, according to reports in the Brazilian newspaper O Globo and in an article published in Mongabay. This is great news indeed. Congratulations to everyone in Brazil Campaign. https://www.internationalrivers.org/resources/brazil-announces-the-end-of-mega-dams-in-the-amazon-international-rivers-statement-16587 (3 Jan 2018) Continue reading “Review of fascinating Dams, Rivers related developments in American continent in 2017”
SANDRP 