DRP 210725: Moving Joshimath Landslide a threat to Tapovan Vishnugad HEP in UKD?

July 21, 2025July 21, 2025 SANDRP1 Comment

(Feature Image: Hydropower Tunnel project shown in the Joshimath area along with the Watershed Boundary. This figure is generated using ArcGIS software-version 10.3.1 and CorelDraw Graphics Suite 2019 https://www.coreldraw.com/. Source: Analyzing Joshimath’s sinking: causes, consequences, and future prospects with remote sensing techniques. May 2024)

A paper in scientific journal co-authored by Internationally renowned landslide expert Dave Petley (published on June 16 2025 at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2025.108201) warns that the Joshimath landslide is moving and can threaten the under construction Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project in Chamoli district in Uttarkhand. The paper says: “The 2023 rapid deformation at Joshimath was preceded by slow movement years ahead. Deforestation in the Joshimath region might have intensified the slope instability. Additional landslide zones were detected in Hailang, Kalpeshwar with similar pattern. Slow-moving landslides have high potential to cause often underestimated damages.”

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Climate Change · Cloud Burst · Disasters · Himalayas

Jammu-Srinagar NH-44 An Unfolding Long Term Disaster in Ramban District?

May 21, 2025May 23, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Social media image showing scroes of vehicles precariously standing on severely damaaged NH 44 in Ramban on April 20, 2025)

After April 20, 2025 ‘cloudburst’ disaster in Ramban, the role of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH) 44 has been under criticism for adding into the devastation trail. While a significant portion of the NH has been severely damaged in the aftermath, the residents have also blamed the NH work for compromising the drainage system and increasing destruction toll in the affected area.

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Climate Change · Disasters · Himalayas

CWC, IMD Need to Improve Extreme Weather Forecast Services

May 17, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

The rising numbers and intensity of western disturbances (WDs) in pre-monsoon months are causing excessive but short rainfall spells across the country particularly in the Himalayan states. These events are then resulting in sudden flash floods and taking a huge toll on human life and public infrastructure. However, the specific monitoring and warning services for such disasters by the Central Water Commission (CWC) & Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) are largely unavailable as these agencies are mainly forecasting floods during the monsoon.

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Disasters · Hydropower

Sikkim HC Order on Public Safety at Hydropower projects

February 18, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

Sikkim High Court Order on Dec 5, 2022 in the matter of death of two persons on May 23 2020 due to drowning following sudden release of water from a private hydropower project flags very important lessons that are relevant for all hydropower projects in India.[i]

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Disasters · Landslide dam · Manipur

Manipur’s Ejei river blocking landslide at under construction railway line involved violations, no EIA, NGT pending case

July 2, 2022July 6, 2022 SANDRPLeave a comment

Eighteen Territorial Army personnel among 24 people were killed in a massive landslide in Manipur’s Noney district[i] on Wednesday (June 29, 2022), and at least another 40, including 18 soldiers, are feared trapped or buried in the rubble of an under-construction railway yard. An adjoining construction camp and security camp engulfed in the avalanche of rock and mud.[ii] The Railway line is under construction since a decade.

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Disasters · Floods

Kerala and Uttarakhand floods in Oct 2021: Did the forewarnings help?

October 26, 2021October 26, 2021 SANDRPLeave a comment

The October 2021 flood disasters in two ends of India, in Kerala and Uttarakhand have a lot common. Both happened after the end of normal dates of South West Monsoon 2021. In both cases it is repeat of earlier such disasters in respective states. In both cases, there were reports by expert reports warning about the disasters. In both cases the rainfall events were broadly along the lines warned by the climate scientists, but in both cases the state was ill prepared to cope with it. In both cases, inappropriate human interventions have worsened the disasters in major ways. And in both cases disaster management seems to be absent from ground. In both cases, more precise forecasts about the rainfall quantum and location would have helped. (Feature Image above is from The Hindustan Times, Oct 23, 2021)

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Disasters · Landslide

Landslides in Kodagu & Western Ghats: A critique of GSI report

August 8, 2020August 8, 2020 SANDRPLeave a comment

Guest Article by Prof Mysooru R. Yadupathi Putty

Introduction This write-up is with regard to the news-paper reports on the “The Geological Survey of India (GSI) Report on the landslides in Kodagu”. This is based on the information furnished by the news-papers and by the scanned copies of the original report of the GSI. The report attributes the landslides to excessive rainfall and extensive slope modifications due to anthropogenic activities, and puts blame on the people who have been using the land to their benefit. This brief article is written in order to bring it to the notice of the authorities concerned, and the people in general, that some of the observations of the GSI are highly ill-conceived, mutually contradictory and technically unsound. They unnecessarily go to rake up untoward feelings and create an impression that the people of Kodagu (Karnataka’s ‘Male-naadu’, in general) responsible for pulling the wrath of the Nature on to themselves. The author of this critique is a Hydrologist, who has been working in the region on Runoff processes, Land-use and Soils for nearly three decades. The following is a review of the available material of the report, point by point. Continue reading “Landslides in Kodagu & Western Ghats: A critique of GSI report” →

Dam Safety · Disasters

A tale of two dam breaches: Spencer (USA) and Tiware (India)

April 27, 2020April 27, 2020 SANDRPLeave a comment

On March 14, 2019 the Spencer dam on Niobrara river, located south of Spencer in Nebraska state in USA breached, killing four people in the downstream. The Investigation Report about the disaster has been made public now on April 24, 2020. The remains of Spencer Dam — a skeleton of concrete and steel amid a sea of sand — became one of the iconic images of the March 2019 “bomb cyclone” flood that caused billions of dollars in damage across Nebraska.

Less than four months later, on July 2, 2019, Tiware dam breached[i] in Chiplun taluka of Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, killing 23 people. The then Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on July 6, 2019 announced a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the disaster, the SIT was to submit a report in two months, but the report was submitted in January 2020, but the report is not in public domain. When SANDRP talked with the chairman of the committee, he disclosed that the report has been submitted to the department in early Feb 2020 and it can only be made public by the department once they accept the report. He revealed that the SIT had found that there were issues with material of construction (masonry in place of Concrete) and design of the conduit of the dam. He agreed that the report should be made public promptly, but expressed his helplessness in face of the norms in India. SANDRP also called Secretary, Department of Water Conservation, Govt of Maharashtra, but got no response.

There is a lot to learn for us in India in comparing the two dam breach incidents and how both are treated.

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Climate Change · Disasters

GermanWatch Report: Can India not assess its Climate Risk & Vulnerability?

December 5, 2019December 5, 2019 SANDRP2 Comments

The Climate Risk Index Briefing Paper “GLOBAL CLIMATE RISK INDEX 2020: Who Suffers Most from Extreme Weather Events? Weather-Related Loss Events in 2018 and 1999 to 2018” released by the Environmental Think tank German Watch[i] on Dec 4, 2019[ii] made a media splash in India[iii] since the report ranked India as fifth country (it was 14^th in 2018 report) most at risk in the context of climate change.

Indeed, it is worth taking note that maximum number of deaths (2081) and Economic losses (USD 37808 million[iv], equivalent to four times country’s annual health sector budget) due to climate change happened in 2018 in India. Both these numbers were highest among the top ten Climate Risk countries of the world in 2018. This is one of the many reports which are coming out on the occasion of 25^th Conference of Parties happening in Madrid (Spain) in early December 2019. Continue reading “GermanWatch Report: Can India not assess its Climate Risk & Vulnerability?” →

Agriculture · Disasters · Rainfall

44% above normal rainfall in Oct 2019 creates hopes for Rabi, Disaster for Kharif crops at many places

November 4, 2019November 4, 2019 SANDRPLeave a comment

The Oct 2019 rainfall all over India was 109.7 mm, 44% above normal expected rainfall of 76 mm, following 53% above normal in Sept 2019. The rainfall this month has been unusual and has had some major impacts. One of the reasons has been that the SW monsoon withdrawal continued well into Oct 2019, when it almost always gets over by the end of Sept. There were also several cyclonic circulations and depressions mostly from Arabian sea. Continue reading “44% above normal rainfall in Oct 2019 creates hopes for Rabi, Disaster for Kharif crops at many places” →