2024: Do Embankments save from floods or worsen the disasters?

January 3, 2025January 3, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: NDRF personnel conduct a rescue operation at a flood-affected area in Bihar’s Supaul district. Image Credit: PTI/Source Live Mint, Sept. 30)

India has seen several floods brought by breach of embankments during the 2024 monsoon. In Bihar, though the state has received deficit rainfalls, the overspilling of barrages and breaching of several embankments created widescale flood damages. Number of reports have again highlighted the ineffective and adverse role being played by flood protection structures in worsening the deluge impacts. The first part of the overview has covered dam induced flood incidents in the country during 2024 and third part has highlighted incidents of dam induced urban floods.

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Dam floods

2024: Dam Induced Floods in India

January 2, 2025January 18, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Breach in the earth dam of Peddavagu project flooded several villages in Telangana & Andhra Pradesh on July 17, 2024. Source: DC)

India has seen several manmade flood disasters during the 2024 monsoon. The mismanagement of dams in Narmada valley including Bargi, and SSP inundated several dam affected villages despite adequate actionable advance warnings. The uninformed excess releases from DVC dams have led to flooding in large areas in West Bengal as repeatedly raised by the state government. The extensive floods in Tripura have revealed glaring loopholes in flood prevention and disaster management.

The floods in the year have also washed away or damaged several earthen dams, tanks in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan affecting human population, agricultural lands in their vicinity. Even during Northeast monsoon, the sudden releases from Sathanur and Veedur dams in Tamil Nadu created avoidable flood damage in downstream areas. Similarly, the states of Gujarat, Telangana, Haryana and Delhi have seen deluge due to mismanagement or breaches in the canals. The case of Narmada canal waters flooding large areas of Little Runn of Kutch is quite concerning.

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August 2024: Tonga Dam Breach floods Madhya Pradesh villages

September 11, 2024September 11, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Breach in Tonga dam. Source: ETV Bharat)

A breach in earthen Tonga dam has flooded half a dozen villages in Sabalgarh tehsil of Morena district in Madhya Pradesh. The breach occurred in intervening night of August 12-13, 2024. As per reports, the dam first overflowed following rainfall, leading to the breach.

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Dam floods · Narmada

Imprudent management of SSP and other Narmada dams could create avoidable flood disaster in Sept 2024?

September 11, 2024September 11, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

Similar to we wrote on Sept 1 2024 [i], but possibly with even greater flood prospects and urgency, the situation in Narmada River Basin is once again moving towards a massive avoidable flood disaster due to imprudent management of Sardar Sarovar dam in Gujarat and dams including Indira Sagar, Omkareshwar, Bargi and Tawa dams in Madhya Pradesh. All of these dams are full or almost full with IMD Flash Flood Bulletin (FFB, bulletin is updated thrice a day) as at 0730 hrs on Sept 11 2024 [ii] warning about the ongoing or imminent flash flood in Narmada Valley districts.

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Dam floods · Narmada

Will Sardar Sarovar AGAIN create avoidable flood disaster in Sept 2024?

September 1, 2024September 1, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

India Meteorological Department (IMD) Flash Flood Bulletin (FFB) at 11.30 hours on Sept 1 2024 [i] for “24 hours Outlook for Flash Flood Risk till 0530 hrs of 02-09-2024” includes large number of Narmada valley districts of MP. All this water is likely to come to Sardar Sarovar Dam as Big upstream dams like Bargi (96% full), Tawa (94%), Indira Sagar (97%) and Omkareshwar (72%) are all almost full and the soil in the Narmada basin is already almost fully saturated, all figures from the daily reservoir bulletin of Narmada Control Authority as on Aug 29 2024 (https://nca.gov.in/dailyreports.htm).

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Dam floods · Fly Ash Bund Breach

2023: Fly Ash Bund Breach Incidents in India

January 4, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

During 2023, we have found two incidents of fly ash bund breach in India. The first incident occurred in Waregaon under Kamptee taluka of Nagpur, Maharashtra in morning hours of July 19, 2023. The fly ashy pond belonged to Khaparkheda Thermal Power Station (KTPS) which is owned by Maharashtra State Power Generation Co Ltd (MAHAGENCO) a state-run power company.

The fly ash pond was brimful following heavy rainfall when a portion of its wall collapsed around 08:00 am. Resultantly, about 15 agricultural farms were flooded with toxic slurry damaging the crops. About 100 acres of agricultural land were filled with fly ash sludge which also entered the Kanhan River.

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Dam floods

2023: Incidents of Dam Induced Floods in India

January 2, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Flooded streets of Ankleshwar, Bharuch district, Sept. 19, 2023. Photo: Kalpesh Gurjar/India Today)

In this third annual overview on dams and hydro power projects, we have compiled the reports on flood disasters caused by unscientific or improper operation of dams, hydro and barrage projects in India in 2023. The report highlights criminal negligence by SSNNL and BBMP resulting in massive flood destruction in parts of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

Similarly, the sudden discharges from hydro power dams in Assam, Himachal and Uttarakhand have caused flash flood deluge damaging human properties along the respective rivers. The report also covers some incidents of barrage induced flood events along Ganga in Uttar Pradesh and along Yamuna in Delhi. The first part of the series on Hydro and dam related accidents and second part on People’s Protests against Hydro & Dam Projects in India in 2023 can be seen here and here respectively.

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Dam floods

सरदार सरोवर परियोजना निर्मित बाढ़: रिवर बेड पावर हाउस को 6 सितंबर से क्यों बंद कर दिया गया?

September 20, 2023September 21, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

सरदार सरोवर परियोजना (एसएसपी) बांध के अनियोजित संचालन से 16 सितंबर, 2023 की रात से शुरू होकर गुजरात और मध्य प्रदेश में आई बाढ़, कई जिलों के लाखों लोगों के लिए अकल्पनीय आपदा बनकर सामने आई है। इस बांध निर्मित बाढ़ से हुए नुकसान की अभी भी पूरी जानकारी उपलब्ध नहीं है। इस बीच इस टाली जा सकने योग्य आपदा का एक और दिलचस्प पहलू सामने आया है। चौंकाने वाली बात यह है कि 6 सितंबर से 16 सितंबर 2023 तक एसएसपी के 1200 मेगावाट रिवर बेड पावर हाउस (आरबीपीएच) में कोई बिजली उत्पादन नहीं हुई।

इसका मतलब न केवल लगभग 270 मिलियन यूनिट (एमयू जिसकी कीमत यदि 3 रुपये प्रति यूनिट के निचले दर से भी आंकी जाए तो लगभग 80 करोड़ रुपये से अधिक है) के बिजली उत्पादन का नुकसान हुआ। साथ ही इस मात्रा में बिजली उत्पादन हेतु बांध से 1200 क्यूमेक्स या, 42000 क्यूसेक की दर से प्रतिदिन पानी छोड़ा जाता जिसकी मात्रा इन दस दिनों में लगभग 12000 क्यूमेक्स या 4.2 लाख क्यूसेक होती, यदि यह सारा पानी को 24 घंटे की अवधि में छोड़ दिया गया होता। एसएसपी बांध में इतनी मात्रा में कम पानी भंडार करके इस बाढ़ के प्रभाव को बड़े पैमाने पर कम किया जा सकता था।

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Dam floods

Avoidable flood disaster from unaccountable Sardar Sarovar operation: Why was River Bed Power House stopped since Sept 6?

September 20, 2023September 26, 2023 SANDRP2 Comments

The avoidable flood disaster brought in Gujarat and upstream Madhya Pradesh, starting from the night of Sept 16, 2023 by unaccountable operation of the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) Dam has created unimaginable impacts for lakhs of people in several districts, the full contours of the damage are still not fully available. But another intriguing aspect of this man-made disaster has come to light. Shockingly, there was no power generation at the 1200 MW River Bed Power House (RBPH) of the SSP from Sept 6 to Sept 16. This not only means loss of power generation of about 270 million units (MU), worth over Rs 80 Crores even at low price of Rs 3 per unit), but also it would have meant release of 1200 cumecs or, 42000 cusecs and over ten days, this would have meant reduction of about 12000 cumecs or 4.2 lakh cusecs from peak discharge for 24 hours, and this itself would have hugely reduced the flood disaster.

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Dam floods

सरदार सरोवर बाँध संचालन की लापरवाही से गुजरात में फिर आई बाढ़

September 17, 2023September 21, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

सरदार सरोवर परियोजना (एसएसपी) बांध संचालन अधिकारियों की लेटलतीफी और गैर-जिम्मेदार व्यवहार से गुजरात में बाँध के निचले इलाके एक बार फिर ऐसी बाढ़ की मार झेल रहे हैं जिसे काफी हद तक टाला जा सकता था। भरूच में गोल्डन ब्रिज पर जल स्तर आज 17 सितंबर, 2023 को उच्चतम बाढ़ स्तर (एचएफएल) के करीब पहुंच रहा है, लेकिन अगर एसएसपी अधिकारियों ने समय रहते उपलब्ध जानकारी के आधार पर और बाँध संचालन नियमों जैसे रूल कर्व सिद्धांत का पालन कर कार्रवाई की होती तो इस बाढ़ का एसएसपी बाँध से ऊपरी और निचले दोनों क्षेत्रों में बहुत कम प्रभाव होता।

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