On the morning of Wednesday, August 26, 2026, one of the most severe high-mountain fluvial disasters struck the transboundary Tibet–Nepal frontier. By now we have seen the terrifying and incomprehensible footage of the disaster.
Continue reading “Himalayan Disaster: August 2026 Bhote Koshi Deluge”Category: India
DRP 170826: Assam Floods: Engineering alone cannot help
(Feature Image: Drone image showing flood situation in Assam. Source: TNIE/ Credit ANI, July 26, 2026)
Among many analyses of the recent Assam Floods, three contrasting ones stand out to illustrate the limitation of supremely confident perspective that engineering alone will solve the problem. One of them is by Mitul Baruah and another one is on edit page of The Times of India on Aug 17 2026. The third one by Arupjyoti Saikia is published in Indian Express. The one in TOI does not look at cultural or historical aspects of floods in Assam, nor the uniqueness of unprecedented upper Assam floods & the reasons behind it. The analysis by Mitul Baruah, in contrast, takes into account all this and in fact comes from lived experience in Majuli. Arupjyoti Saikia, an environmental historian, takes historical perspective.
Continue reading “DRP 170826: Assam Floods: Engineering alone cannot help”
Aug 2026: Eleven Killed in THDC’s Vishnugad-Pipalkoti HEP Tunnel Disaster
(Feature Image: Rescuers using make shift raft made of plastic drums to search for the missing workers inside flooded Vishnugad-Pipalkoti HEP. Source: Amar Ujala/Aug. 14, 2026)
At least eight workers have been killed in a major disaster inside the tunnel of under-construction Vishnugad Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project (HEP) on Aug. 13, 2026 in Uttarakhand. The incident occurring between 6:30 and 7:00 pm inside the project’s Tail Race Tunnel (TRT) near Mayapur area in Chamoli district, has also left 12 workers injured and two still missing. The rescued workers have sustained fractures and other trauma injuries and are currently under treatment. The disaster happened about 1.5 km inside the 3 km long TRT, being constructed between Durgapur to Siyasain area in Pipalkoti.
Continue reading “Aug 2026: Eleven Killed in THDC’s Vishnugad-Pipalkoti HEP Tunnel Disaster”
DRP 030826: Eight Disasters Hit Himalayan Hydro Projects in Six Weeks
(Feature Image: Flash flood in Chenab valley on July 06, 2026 buried several vehicles at Kwar HEP site in Kishtwar. Source: NDTV)
Over the past one and a half months of the 2026 monsoon season (since June 24), at least eight (& counting) major accidents and disasters have affected hydropower and dam projects across the Himalayan region. In addition, two recurring landslide lakes have emerged as significant hazards that are either linked to HEP construction activities or have the potential to impact downstream hydropower infrastructure. Notably, these incidents span the Teesta, Brahmaputra, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej and Yamuna basins underlining that almost no major Himalayan river basin remains untouched by recurring hydro-related disasters.
Continue reading “DRP 030826: Eight Disasters Hit Himalayan Hydro Projects in Six Weeks”
July 2026: Flood Threat from Landslide Lake in Sainj Valley, Himachal Pradesh
(Feature Image: Google Earth image marks locations mentioned in the report along landslide lakes and nearby hydropower infrastructure in the Sainj Valley. The red circle marks the probable location of the landslide lake on Jiva nullah, while the yellow circle indicates the landslide lake that formed on Varshanu nullah in June 2025. The numbered locations represent: (1) 1 MW Jiva Small HEP, (2) 100 MW Sainj HEP powerhouse, (3) 800 MW Parbati-II HEP powerhouse and (4) the dam of the 520 MW Parbati-III HEP.)
Fresh landslides and the continued expansion of a landslide-dammed lake on Jiva nullah in the Sainj Valley of Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, have once again raised concerns over a potential downstream flood disaster. Although no official estimate of the lake’s area or stored water volume has been made public, local residents say the impounded water body has expanded steadily over the past three years.
Continue reading “July 2026: Flood Threat from Landslide Lake in Sainj Valley, Himachal Pradesh”
July 2026: Workers Injured by Rockfall near Chamera-III Dam Site in Ravi Basin
(Feature Image: Rockfall at Chamera III dam site in Chamba on July 24, 2026. Source: Amar Ujala)
A rockfall at the dam site of the 231 MW Chamera-III Hydro Project narrowly averted a major tragedy on July 24, 2026. The incident occurred close to the dam construction area around 6 PM near Kharamukh on the Pathankot–Bharmour NH in Chamba dist, Himachal Pradesh.
Continue reading “July 2026: Workers Injured by Rockfall near Chamera-III Dam Site in Ravi Basin”
July 2026: Flood Damages Chanju-III HEP Again in Ravi Basin, Himachal Pradesh
(Feature Image: Flash flood at Chanju III HEP site in Chamba on July 19. Source: The Modern Himachal)
A flash flood in the Chanju stream on July 19, 2026, caused significant damage to the Chanju-III Hydroelectric Project (HEP) in Ravi basin. The project is being built near Chanju and Dehra villages in Churah subdivision of Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh. As per initial reports, the swollen stream washed away large quantities of construction material and damaged several temporary structures at the project site.
Continue reading “July 2026: Flood Damages Chanju-III HEP Again in Ravi Basin, Himachal Pradesh”
July 2026: Chenab Flood Damages Ratle HEP Coffer Dam in J&K
(Feature Image: Flood spell in Chenab river overtopping and damaging part of cofferdam at 850 MW Ratle HEP in Kistwar, J&K. Source: Greater Kashmir).
The cofferdam of Ratle Hydroelectric Project (HEP) was partially damaged due to a floods in Chenab river on July 23, 2026. The 850 MW project is under construction near Drabshalla village in Kishtwar district of Jammu & Kashmir. The cofferdam was built to divert river flows and facilitate construction of the main concrete gravity dam.
Continue reading “July 2026: Chenab Flood Damages Ratle HEP Coffer Dam in J&K”
Adaptation as Water Security in the Kosi Floodplains in Bihar
Guest Article by: Rahul Yaduka
1. Paradox of Abundance and Insecurity
Kosi Diyara, the land-waterscape trapped within the embankments along the river Kosi in Bihar, harbours various paradoxes. One of them is that it is a water-abundant region facing recurrent floods and yet witnessing persistent livelihood and water insecurity. This water insecurity manifests in different forms in different seasons. For instance, during the flood period from mid-May to mid-October, the Kharif paddy crop is prone to flooding. On the other hand, during the cultivation of the Rabi crop, viz., wheat, between December and April, the lack of irrigation infrastructure and required capital inputs makes irrigation challenging despite the abundance of water.
Continue reading “Adaptation as Water Security in the Kosi Floodplains in Bihar”
July 2026: 25 Workers Killed in NHPC Teesta-VI HEP Tunnel Disaster in Sikkim
(Feature Image: Joint rescue and recovery operation at Teesta VI HEP tunnel site in Samardung, Sikkim: Image credit: PTI/Source: ETV Bharat)
The methane leak and explosion disaster on 20 July 2026 inside the under-construction ADIT-III tunnel of NHPC’s 500 MW Teesta Stage-VI Hydroelectric Project (HEP) at Samardung in South Sikkim claimed the lives of all 25 trapped workers, making it one of the worst tunnel accidents in India’s hydropower sector.
Continue reading “July 2026: 25 Workers Killed in NHPC Teesta-VI HEP Tunnel Disaster in Sikkim”
SANDRP 