July 2023 Delhi Floods: Why Unprecedented Yamuna Water Levels even at moderate releases?

July 16, 2023April 6, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Cycles of fisherfolks by the Yamuna and ongoing construction of Metro Bridge downstream of Wazirabad Barrage two weeks before the July 2023 floods. Bhim Singh Rawat/SANDRP, June 28, 2023)

The national capital is witnessing one of the worst flood spells with water level at Railway Bridge breaching the highest recorded 207.49 m of Sept 6, 1978 by 1.17 m. The Yamuna seems eager to reclaim all its relict channel and encroached floodplain areas.

The River has set 208.66 meter as new HFL (Highest Flood Levels) for the site at 18:00 hours on 13 July 2023 which is 1.17 meter higher than the 1978’s HFL. The flood level is receding now.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP 100723: Varanasi Boatmen oppose Ganga Taxi Service

July 10, 2023February 27, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Boatmen protesting against Ganga water taxi project in Kashi. Source: Live VNS News, 06 July 2023)

The Boatmen Association of Varanasi has opposed the government move to introduce taxi service for tourists and pilgrims to travel along Ganga Ghats as it will hit the livelihoods of some 5000 families. The government did not think it even necessary to consult the boatmen or their association and take them into confidence. Even when the concerned boatmen tried to meet the officials, no proper information was shared with them. The commercialisation of the river transport and profiteering from it for a few at the cost of thousands of poor boatmen will neither be desirable nor sustainable. The least the administration should have done is to discuss the proposal with the boatmen and suggested via media to upgrade some of the boats gradually, ensuring that the livelihoods of thousands is not affected.

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Rainfall

June 2023: High Rainfall district days in India’s SW Monsoon

July 9, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

An analysis of the daily district wise rainfall data from India Meteorological Department (IMD) for the month of June 2023, the first month of India’s South West Monsoon 2022 shows that there were instances (462 in June 2022 [i] and 442 in June 2021) when district rainfall of a day was above 50 mm. This is high considering that the rainfall of India in June 2023 was 148.6 mm [ii], the rainfall of India in June 2022 was 152.3 mm [iii], or daily average rainfall is about 5 mm. The high rainfall instances in June 2023 included 339 (339 and 371 in June 2022 and 2021) instances when rainfall was 50-100 mm, 68 instances (68 and 59 in June 2022 & 2021) when it was 100-150 mm, 26 (26 and 5 times in June 2022 & 2021) times it was 150-200 mm and 29 (29 & 7 times in June 2022 & 2021) times above 200 mm.

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River Restoration · Urban Rivers · Urban Water Sector

“Green Stormwater Infrastructure and River Restoration are inseparable in Urban Areas”: Dr. Fouad Jaber, Texas A&M University

July 7, 2023July 8, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

Even as the sun was harsh on the streets of Baner, the banks of River Mula were lined with ancient willows, their branches brushing against the flow. Crinum lilies softened banks and in a months’ time, they will burst in white, fragrant blooms. Gnarled roots of Karanj (Pongamia pinnata) tree, immortalized in Indian literature as the river’s companion, made walls along the riverbanks making sure that the banks will not get washed away in a flood.

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Rainfall

June 2023: District wise rainfall in India’s SW Monsoon

July 7, 2023July 9, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

In the just concluded month June 2023, the first month of India’s South West 2023 monsoon, India received 148.6 mm rainfall, 10% below the normal June rainfall of 165.3 mm as per India Meteorological department. In June 2022, the rainfall was 152.3 mm, 8% below normal, in June 2021, the rainfall was 182.9 mm [i], about 11% above normal and in June 2020, the rainfall was 196.9 mm, or about 18% above normal and in June 2019 it was 33% below normal.

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CWC - Central Water Commission

Rivers Breaching High Flood Level in June 2023

July 6, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

In the first month of South West (SW) monsoon season June 2023, there have been Highest Flood Level (HFL) breach incidents at two sites. Both of these sites namely Suklai on Suklai river and DRF on Puthimari river are level monitoring sites located in Baksa district of Assam in Brahmaputra basin.

Interestingly, the old HFL at both sites were attained in 2020 and 2022 only and the old HFLs were breached thrice between June 15 and 20, 2023. The details of old and new HFLs for these sites are given in table below.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP 030723: Peak Hour Tariffs to be implemented from April 2024

July 3, 2023February 27, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Vyasi HEP power station at Hathyari, Dehradun. SANDRP, June 2023)

This announcement by the government is indeed much belated but welcome step that India plans to increase peak hour power tariff compared to non-peak hour power tariff, beginning with commercial and industrial consumers from April 2024 a year later for others excluding agriculture consumers. The notification mentions it as daytime tariff (during solar hours) and night time power use, but this essentially also helps peak management.

This will not only put a premium on peak hour power consumption and hence generation, but also hopefully ensure that assessment of impacts of the peak hour power generation including at hydropower projects is done and done in a credible way, along with compensating those affected. It will also hopefully ensure that existing hydro capacity is used optimally for peak hour power generation before going for new hydro projects in the name of increasing peak our power generation.

One also hopes that it will lead to better peak hour power management and also considering all the options for such power generation rather than pushing hydro projects blindly in the name of peak hour power generation.

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Hydro Disaster

Himachal Pradesh 25 June 2023: Cloud Bursts Damage 2 Hydro Projects

June 27, 2023June 27, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Under construction 66 Mw Dhaulasiddh hydro project site in Hamirpur. Image Source: ETV Bharat)

With the onset of south west monsoon 2023, Himachal Pradesh has witnessed multiple incidents of ‘cloud bursts’ leading to destruction in Solan, Shimla, Hamirpur and Kullu between June 24-25. The extreme rainfall and resultant flash flood spells have caused widespread destruction to farms, cowsheds, local roads, bridges, vehicles and other public infrastructural in these districts.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP 260623: National Framework for Sediment Management

June 26, 2023February 27, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

A National Framework for Sediment Management is certainly a long standing requirement and any move in that direction would have been welcome. Not only because the sediment accumulation destroys storage capacity of India’s Dams, created at such massive costs. But also because sediment is an integral part of river flow and also very important for the rivers to stop or reduce erosion at deltas. There are other issues related to sediment including creation and disposal of toxic sediment and impact of sediment free water flowing downstream from the hydropower projects.

But we need much more serious and sincere efforts in this direction than what has been suggested in following government press release. The movement on such an important subject is so snail paced, half hearted, non-comprehensive, unscientific and non-sincere that it is not clear how this is going to help.

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Yamuna River

Vyasi Hydro: Village Drowned; River Dried but little power generation

June 26, 2023June 26, 2023 SANDRP2 Comments

(Featured Image: Submerged Lohari village houses in Vyasi HEP ‘RoR’ dam reservoir. SANDRP, June 2023)

The 120 Mw Vyasi HEP built by Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (UJVN Ltd.) in Vikas Nagar tehsil of Dehradun is on its way to become the textbook example of how thoughtlessly pushed hydro power projects are proving a nightmare for local people, a costly affair for the state and the nation and a disaster for free-flowing living river.

The project offers some bitter lessons for the policy-makers, experts and society who have been assuming that hydro power is a cheap, green source of energy and the Run of River (RoR) projects don’t dam and cause much harm to the environment, people or rivers.

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