In the just concluded month of Aug 2023, India received just 162.7 mm (263.8 mm in Aug 2022, 3.5% above the normal[i]) or 36.2% below normal rainfall against Aug normal rainfall of 254.9 mm as per India Meteorological department (IMD). In Aug 2021, the rainfall was 195.9 mm[ii], about 24.13% below normal and in Aug 2020, the rainfall was 327 mm[iii], or about 26.6% above normal.
Continue reading “June Aug 2023: District wise rainfall in in India’s SW Monsoon”Author: SANDRP
DRP 280823: Defund nature destroying activities
(Feature Image: Construction work of World Bank funded 444Mw Vishugad-Pipaltkoti hydro dam project is going. The Developer have been found dumping muck in massive amount in river and carrying out blasting work evening during monsoon time. Image Source: Social Media)
This is indeed the key message if we are serious about tackling climate change with any sincerity. The adverse impacts of mindless activities in the name of development, are acting as force multipliers for climate change impacts as we are experiencing first hand, latest example being in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
Particularly when the “development” activities are done without credible project specific and cumulative impact assessment, genuine public consultation process and confidence inspiring monitoring and compliance processes, as is the norm.
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Uttarakhand: Aug 2023 Landslide Renders Jakhan in Yamuna Valley Inhabitable
(Feature Image: Landslide damaged homes in Jakhan village, Dehradun. Image source: Social Media)
The Jakhan village in Yamuna valley suffered a huge landslide in noon hours of August 16, 2023. The village is populated by 28 families. The incident has reportedly damaged 10 houses and 07 cowsheds fully and 02 houses partially apart from impacting a power transmission tower of Power Transmission Corp of Uttarakhand Ltd (PTCUL) forcing the villagers to take refuge in nearby primary school of village Pashta.
The village is part of Binhar region situated about 5 km uphill the power station of 120 Mw Vyasi Hydro Electric Power (HEP) Project on Yamuna river. The Vyasi Project is in Hathyari village of Vikas Nagar tehsil in Dehradun district. Before the fateful incident, the area had witnessed prolonged rain spells and the villagers had seen small cracks around the village.
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No dispute about role of Pong and Bhakra dams in Punjab Aug 2023 floods
Large parts of Punjab are facing flood disaster since about Aug 14, 2023. There is no doubt that these floods are due to sudden, untimely releases of massive quantities of water from BBMB managed Pong and Bhakra Dams. It is welcome news that even Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary has now listed the three BBMB managed dams situated in HP, namely, Pong, Bhakra and Pandoh among the 21 dams that have violated the Dam Safety Norms and also the CWC Guidelines of 2015 and action will be taken against them.
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DRP 210823: Welcome Himachal action against Dam safety violations
(Feature Image:- Screen shot of Hridayesh Joshi, News Laundry ground report showing destruction along Pin Parbati river due to NHPC dam in Sainj Vally in July 2023)
The Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary’s proposed action against violations by 21 of 23 big hydro projects in the state for violations of Dam Safety Act and CWC 2015 guidelines are welcome. We hope there will be no backlash against this from the central govt. In fact Central Govt agencies like CWC, NDMA, CEA and Ministry of Power will welcome and support the HP action and also ask all states to follow suit. In fact all dam owner states need to follow the HP example. SANDRP and other like-minded organisations like Himdhara in HP have been saying this for long and we are glad that there is some though long overdue action on this issue.
A lot more needs to be done. All information related to dam operations and dam safety must be without exception, promptly in public domain. Flood forecasting needs to get out of the ad-hoc-ism now prevailing and possibly needs to be handed over to a new independent organisation that has no axe to grind, unlike CWC. Earlier we bring all these changes, the better it will be for our disaster management.
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July-August 2023: Problems in CWC Flood Monitoring & Forecast
(Feature Image: CWC’s Delhi Railway Bridge forecast site showing abrupt changes in Yamuna water level during unusual flood spell in July 2023)
July and August are peak months of South West monsoon. There has already been flood related destruction in several states including Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttarakhand so far. Amid these flood spells, SANDRP has observed many serious issues plaguing Central Water Commission’s (CWC) flood forecasting and monitoring work and some of these are described below.
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DRP 140823: A year after Karam dam disaster: people suffer, engineer set free, contractor building more dams
(Feature Image: Breach in Karam dam, Madhya Pradesh. Source:- Social Media)
It was on Aug 13, 2022, a year ago when the Karam dam wall in Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh started leaking water. Two days later it collapsed. The people who suffered during the disaster continue to suffer. The engineers who were supposed to ensure proper construction of the dam, following all the norms, did not do that, were supposed to be suspended, but got reinstated elsewhere. They kept quiet in the courts. The black listed contractor continues to build more dams.
A clearer evidence of the nexus that supports unwanted, destructive, costly, corruption ridden and disastrous dams would be difficult to find. As the destruction due to dams and such other unaccountable infrastructure development plays out in Himachal Pradesh & elsewhere this year, the nexus that thrives on opaque, unaccountable and non-participatory governance continues to happily grow even as the changing rainfall patterns bring greater disasters before our eyes.
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Himachal demands Rs 658 Cr from NHAI for damage to Larji Hydro Project
In an unprecedented development[i], the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has sent a Rs 658-crore damage report to the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari seeking from National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) compensation for the devastation caused at the 126-MW Larji hydel project allegedly due to the construction of a double-decker four-lane road.
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Co-sculptors of the Central Highlands: River Sindh and its People
GUEST ARTICLE BY POORVA GOEL
At Pachnada (see the photo above, the river in Uttar Pradesh, photo by Poorva Goel), the Sindh River meets four other rivers- Yamuna, Chambal, Kunwari and Pahuj, in a rare spectacle. Over time, the gentle currents of these rivers have meandered and unloaded their sediment on the floodplains. The floodplains are lush with mustard and wheat fields, and the scrub slopes are dotted with grazing cattle.
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The 2023 Yamuna floods of Delhi only a trailer of bigger floods to come in future?
(Feature Image:- Boats tied to Yamuna river bank at Wazirabad Barrage in June 2023. SANDRP)
In this detailed interview by Questions of Cities; Bhim Singh Rawat, associate coordinator, SANDRP talks on multiple issues affecting the Yamuna and offers some corrective measures to improve the overall condition of the river. The interview has already been published by Question of Cities and can be seen here. The interview also covers possible reasons behind unusual floods in Yamuna in Delhi in July 2023 and the detailed SANDRP blog on the issue can be seen here.
Continue reading “The 2023 Yamuna floods of Delhi only a trailer of bigger floods to come in future?”
SANDRP 