Blaming Sarbari I Small Hydro Power (HEP) project for causing reoccurring disasters, the villagers of Mashana panchayat in Lag Valley of Kullu district have demanded suspension of the 4.5 Mw project operation. As per the villagers the leakages in the surge shaft and head race tunnel and burst of penstock of the project in August and Sept. months this year have caused landslides and flash flood disasters impacting their land and livelihoods. They have said that due to these disasters about 80 meter Mashana link road, some houses, a water tank and over hundreds of bigha of fertile farmland have been severely damaged.
Continue reading “Himachal Pradesh: Kullu Villagers Demand Suspension of Sarbari-I SHEP”Category: Rivers
National Dolphin Day 2025: Deaths, Threats, Conservation Efforts related to Gangetic Dolphins
(Feature Image: Carcass of a Gangetic dolphin found on Ganga river bank in Sahibganj district on Oct. 02, 2025)
Oct. 5 is marked as National Dolphin Day since 2022 after a decision by the NBWL in its 67th meeting in March 2022. Earlier the day was designated as Ganga River Dolphin Day. Bihar has been celebrating Oct. 5 as ‘Dolphin Day’ for the past many years. In May 2010, the MoEF had notified the Gangetic Dolphin as ‘National Aquatic Animal’ and in Aug. 2022 launched the Project Dolphin.
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Rivers in Extreme Floods During SW Monsoon 2025
This is the summary report of Highest Flood Levels (HFL) breach incidents which we could document from CWC’s flood monitoring website during South West Monsoon Season 2025. The monthly reports for HFL breach incident for July 2025, August 2025 and September 2025 can be seen by clicking the hyperlinks and the detailed final report can be seen here. SANDRP’s previous reports on the subject can be seen here: HFL breach incidents in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 (I), 2021 (II), 2022 (I), 2022 (II), 2023, and 2024.
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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.
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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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Dharali Disaster: Bhagirathi River Blockage Partially Removed
(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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Devastation at Chasoti: Underlining the vulnerability of Chenab Basin again
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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DRP 110825: Non-Implementation of NDMA’s 2020 GLOF Guidelines Worsened Dharali Disaster
(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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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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