Dharali Disaster: Bhagirathi River Blockage Partially Removed

August 17, 2025August 22, 2025 SANDRP1 Comment

(Feature Image: Formation of artificial lake in Bhagirathi river at Harshil, Uttarkashi)

After 11 days since the Dharali disaster unfolded in Bhagirathi valley Uttarakhand on August 5, 2025, an artificial lake formed on Bhagirathi river has been removed to some extent by the joint team of concerned departments on Aug 16, 2025 noon. The lake was formed after the Tel gaad partially blocked the Bhagirathi river at Harshil about 2.5 km downstream of Dharali.

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Chenab · Climate Change · Floods · Hydropower

Devastation at Chasoti: Underlining the vulnerability of Chenab Basin again

August 15, 2025August 15, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

Last October, we were about 15 kms from Chasoti in the Paddar valley of Jammu when we met Dular Singh jee, Priest of Machail Mata Temple, accompanied by other members of the Temple Management Board. They were on their way to Mindhal Mata Temple also on the banks of Chenab in the neighboring Pangi Valley. Theirs was a journey upstream and ours was downstream. We talked of Chenab, floods, Mindhal and Machail Mata Yatra (pilgrimage) and beautifully carved wooden temples of this region.

And today, Dular Singh jee, who is just 3kms from Chasoti, tells me in voice choked with emotion, “I have not seen such a catastrophic flashflood in my life.” The flood that started around 12 noon on Aug 14 2025, devastating Machail Mata yatra and pilgrims at Chasoti. “Mata Rani sabki raksha kare”. (May the deity protect all). He is also worried about villages like “Hangu, Hanoti, Hamori and Bhajanu Nalla”.

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Climate Change · Disasters · Ganga · GLOF · Himalayas · Uttarakhand

DRP 110825: Non-Implementation of NDMA’s 2020 GLOF Guidelines Worsened Dharali Disaster

August 11, 2025 SANDRP1 Comment

(Feature Image: Mud, debris following flashfloods at Dharali)

The following Indian Express report highlights some key aspects of the Oct 2020 guidelines from the National Disaster Management Authority related to disasters caused by Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF). Unfortunately, as is clear from the recent Dharali disaster most key aspects of the guidelines remain unimplemented almost five years after the Guidelines were published. Had they been implemented with any seriousness, the proportions of the Dharali disaster would have been significantly reduced.

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Climate Change · Dams · Rivers

DRP 040825: Arunachal Activists urge Centre to find dimensions of China’s Medog Dam

August 4, 2025August 4, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(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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Alaknanda · Climate Change · Hydro Disaster · Landslide

Aug 2025: Rockslide at Vishnugad-Pipalkoti in Uttarakhand

August 4, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Rockslide at dam site of 444 Mw Vishnugad-Pipalkoti HEP on Aug 02, 2025)

At least 12 workers sustained injuries in a rockslide at the under construction Vsihnugad-Pipalkoti Hydro-Electric Power (VPHEP) project in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. The 444 Mw (111X4) project is being built on Alaknanda River by the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC).

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Climate Change · Cloud Burst · Hydro Disaster · Rivers

Aug 2025: Flashflood Damages Malana-I HEP in Himachal Pradesh Again

August 3, 2025 SANDRP1 Comment

(Feature Image: Flashflood breached Malana I HEP coffer dam & washed away vehicles on Aug. 01, 2025 in Kullu district, HP)

The controversial Malana-I hydroelectric power (HEP) project has again faced significant damages by a ‘cloudburst’ induced flashflood disaster in afternoon of Aug 1, 2025. The 86 Mw project is based on Malana stream, a tributary of Parvati in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. Interestingly, the project’s dam site had suffered major destruction exactly one year ago on Aug 1, 2024 in a similar ‘cloudburst’ disaster.

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Climate Change · Disasters · GLOF · Hydro Power Projects · Rivers

DRP 280725: CWC Guidelines on GLOF should have mandated all information in public domain, independent assessment after every GLOF

July 28, 2025July 28, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

Guidelines for Structural Measures to Mitigate Adverse Effects of GLOF on Dams Central Water Commission (CWC) on July 23 has issued new guidelines to safeguard dam infrastructure from risks and threat of flash floods triggered by glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). The information about this 40 paged documents named Guidelines for Structural Measures to Mitigate Adverse Effects of GLOF on Dams July 2025 was shared by CWC director Shiv Kumar Sharma, in a LinkedIn post. The document is available in PPT format and a pdf link for the same is still not available.

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Climate Change · Dams · Disasters · Floods · Rivers

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 · Dams · Hydro Power Projects · Rivers

DRP 070725: Demand for Commission of Inquiry on Hydro Obsession in Himachal

July 7, 2025July 7, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(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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Beas · Climate Change · Cloud Burst · Hydro Disaster

July 2025: Flash Flood Destroys Patikari Hydro Project in Himachal

July 3, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Dam site of Patikari HEP destroyed by the flash flood.)

A ‘cloudburst’ induced deluge on the intervening night of June 30 and July 01, 2025 has totally destroyed the Patikari Hydroelectric Power (HEP) project in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. The 16 Mw project was built in Gudah village on Bakhali khad (Kuklah stream) a tributary of Beas River upstream Pandoh dam. The main project structures including the dam site and powerhouse have been washed away in the disaster. The 12 workers of the project managed to escape in the nick of time.

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