At around 3 pm on Sept 4, in a major disaster, water gushed into under repair power house of 12 MW Ajanta hydropower plant on Mahi river near Tatroli village in Mahisagar district of Gujarat. The project is located on Dolatpur weir of Kadana dam on Mahi River, about 20 km downstream of the dam. Out of about 15 workers present, five are missing and so far one dead body have been found on Friday evening. Rest of the workers could escape and save them themselves. The project had faced damaging disaster earlier too. The water seems to have come from the discharge of huge quantity of water from upstream Kadana dam. The project owning company was also involved in the Morbi Bridge disaster earlier.
Continue reading “Sept 2025: 5 die when Kadana dam water release floods Gujarat Hydro project”Category: Dams
Vulnerable Nallahs in the Himalayas Need Urgent Attention
“When Jahlma Nallah starts roaring, we cannot sleep. It has been flooding for the past three years at least” said octogenarian Devi Singhji in October 2024. Jahlma Nallah, which joins the Chenab and blocks it occasionally, flooded again catastrophically in the monsoon of 2025.
Continue reading “Vulnerable Nallahs in the Himalayas Need Urgent Attention”
Aug 2025: Chenab, Tawi and tributaries cross Highest Flood Levels: Muck Dumping worsens the impacts
In an event which is seem like an emergency, in. the morning of Aug 27 2025, Chenab and its tributaries have crossed Highest Flood Levels (HFL) at three hydrological observation sites between the under-construction 850 MW Ratle Hydropower Project in Kishtwar District and 900 MW Baglihar Hydropower Project in Ramban District in Jammu. Similarly, River Tawi is experiencing “Extreme Flood” in Jammu and has crossed its HFL.
At least 30 people have died at landslide near Vaishno Devi Pilgrimage site, Reuters reported.
Continue reading “Aug 2025: Chenab, Tawi and tributaries cross Highest Flood Levels: Muck Dumping worsens the impacts”
Aug 2025: Yamuna Flows Blocked at Syana Chatti in Uttarakhand
(Feature Image: Buildings submerged in artificial lake following blockage in Yamuna river at Syana Chatti)
Blockage of Yamuna flows has resulted in formation of an artificial lake in the Yamuna river on August 21, 2025 at Syana Chatti in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. The lake is a result of debris and mud floods in Kupada khad (Garh gaad) after the rains in the morning. The water level in the lake dipped in the afternoon and increased again following fresh debris slide from the stream without any rain activity around 04:30 pm.
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Aug 2025: Flood Affects Satpuli Barrage Project in Uttarakhand
(Feature Image: Flooded machines, camps and materials of Satpuli lake project on Aug 06 morning. Credit: Chain Singh Rawat (Junyali), Satpuli)
A flood spell in Nayar river (East) on Aug 6, 2025 morning has affected the ongoing construction work of Satpuli Barrage Project in Pauri district of Uttarakhand. The flood submerged some machines, heavy vehicles, worker camps and huge amount of construction materials, leading to huge losses for the construction company. All these machines, materials and camps were in the riverbed and flood zone of the river, exposing them to flood threats in the peak monsoon.
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DRP 18 Aug2025: Sustainable Hydropower an Oxymoron?
Analyzing a recent paper authored by 37 persons mainly from academics and hydropower related companies on “Sustainable Hydropower”, Eugene Simonov shows why the phrase is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. The paper fails to even refer to the most important work on hydropower projects, the report of the World Commission on Dams.
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DRP 040825: Arunachal Activists urge Centre to find dimensions of China’s Medog Dam
(Feature Image: Aerial view of the Yarlung Tsangpo’s Great Bend, Medog County)
Arunachal and other Himalayan states activists in a press conference in Delhi have rightly urged the Union Government to publicly demand from China all the features and dimensions of the Medog Dam on Yarlung Tsangpo river, their impact assessments and share the same promptly in public domain before even considering any project like the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP). This is important since without knowing the features, dimensions, operating procedures and impact assessments, all the projections being made about the possible impacts of the projects are completely speculative and unfounded.
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DRP 210725: Moving Joshimath Landslide a threat to Tapovan Vishnugad HEP in UKD?
(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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Guadalupe River Floods: Understanding the tragedy along ‘The Most Dangerous River valley in the USA’
Guadalupe River Floods: Understanding the tragedy along ‘The Most Dangerous River valley in the USA’
“This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States, we deal with floods on a regular basis.” – Kerr County judge, Rob Kelly about Guadalupe River[i], 5th July 2025
“If you live in the Guadalupe River Basin, you also live in one of the three most dangerous regions in the U.S.A. for flash floods!”[ii] – Opening Statement of “Staying safe: A Guide to Flooding in the Guadalupe River Basin[iii]” published by the Guadalupe River basin Authority
Flash Flood Watch Alert from National Weather Service received 3 hrs 21 minutes ahead of the devastating “30 feet high tsunami ball of water[1]”.
“If you do not want to be flooded, do not build or live in a floodplain”– Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority
And yet, several summer camp buildings built on not only floodplains, but on extremely dangerous floodways[iv]. more than 27 children lost to floods.
Continue reading “Guadalupe River Floods: Understanding the tragedy along ‘The Most Dangerous River valley in the USA’”
DRP 070725: Demand for Commission of Inquiry on Hydro Obsession in Himachal
(Feature Image: Flood ravaged Priyadarshini HEP in Manuni khad in Dharamshala, Kangra. Source: Social Media)
Hydropower obsession, Himalayan failure The massive hydropower push, another legacy of post-1990s liberalisation, has amplified vulnerability. Dams have mushroomed across river basins in Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti, Chamba, and Kullu — with scant regard for ecological thresholds. Muck from these construction sites is routinely dumped into riverbeds, narrowing channels and raising riverbeds. When the rains arrive, this loose muck turns into a lethal force, taking down everything in its path. The hydropower model — built on the assumption of perpetual revenue — has neither delivered long-term employment nor sustainable energy. Instead, it has left behind ecological scars, displaced communities, and made vast swathes of the state more disaster-prone.
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SANDRP 