DRP: 16 Dec. 2019: Why the first NGC meeting signifies Govt’s Failure on Ganga
DRP News Bulletin

DRP: 16 Dec. 2019: Why the first NGC meeting signifies Govt’s Failure on Ganga

SANDRPLeave a comment

The Prime Minister finally found time to have the first ever meeting on National Ganga Council, over three years after the Ganga Notification of Oct 7, 2016. The meeting happened at Kanpur, where the NGT recently fined the state government for continuing to release untreated effluents into the Ganga. In fact NGT in recent weeks have taken several decisions that also shows how abysmally the govt has failed on Ganga front. And now after the first NGC meeting, the Prime Minister, in an effort to divert attention from Namami Gange failure, is proposing the new slogan of Arth Ganga, which basically seems to suggest focus on Money, which is Exactly what is not going to help the cause of Ganga. The Ganga is still on the lookout for the Ganga putra that promised a clean Ganga in May 2014.

Feature image above is of first NGC meeting, source is: PIB PR: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1596482&reg=3&lang=2

PS: Second meeting of NGC happened on Dec 30 2022 in Kolkata, where the PM participated through video conferencing. No further meetings have happened till date (March 5 2026).

Continue reading “DRP: 16 Dec. 2019: Why the first NGC meeting signifies Govt’s Failure on Ganga” →
Cloud Bursts in Himachal Pradesh in Monsoon 2019
Cloud Burst

Cloud Bursts in Himachal Pradesh in Monsoon 2019

SANDRPLeave a comment

Cloud burst incidents are emerging as a major threat for the Himalayan states. Of late, the extreme weather event have been causing large scale destruction in ecologically sensitive and remotely located vulnerable hilly areas. In 2018 between May 2 and July 20, the Uttarakhand state saw around 13 cloud bursts event which have increased to 23 in 2019 monsoon season resulting in wide scale damages.

This compilation for Himachal Pradesh state shows that the state is suffering even bigger destruction of infrastructure including roads, buildings, bridges and hydro projects due to increasing cloud burst events. At the same time the monitoring and mitigation efforts are totally insufficient and inadequate. 

Continue reading “Cloud Bursts in Himachal Pradesh in Monsoon 2019” →

Uttarakhand Cloud Bursts in Monsoon 2019: No Doppler Radars Six Years Since 2013 Disaster
Cloud Burst

Uttarakhand Cloud Bursts in Monsoon 2019: No Doppler Radars Six Years Since 2013 Disaster

SANDRP2 Comments

With the beginning of south west monsoon season 2019, many Himalayan states started witnessing exceptional rainfall events known as Cloud Bursts. The extreme weather event – like previous years- caused large scale destruction in ecologically sensitive and remotely located vulnerable hilly areas. This account compiles the available information about such incidents in Uttarakhand in 2019 SW monsoon.

Continue reading “Uttarakhand Cloud Bursts in Monsoon 2019: No Doppler Radars Six Years Since 2013 Disaster” →

DRP: 9 Dec 2019: CITIZENS REPORT ON WHAT AILS GANGA REJUVENATION
DRP News Bulletin

DRP: 9 Dec 2019: CITIZENS REPORT ON WHAT AILS GANGA REJUVENATION

SANDRPLeave a comment

 The Hindustan Times editorial on Nov 27, 2019 has rightly said the following about “a recently-released Rejuvenating-Ganga River – A Citizen-Report, by the India Rivers Week, a consortium of seven NGOs”.

“A key reason for the failure of the river cleaning projects (Ganga and Yamuna action plans), says a recently-released citizen’s report, Rejuvenating Ganga,by the India Rivers Week, a consortium of seven NGOs, was their single-point focus on the main stem of the river, while the Ganga basin actually has eight major rivers (Yamuna, Son, Ramganga, Gomti, Ghaghra, Gandak, Kosi and Damodar). The majority of the funds were spent on pollution-abatement measures on the main stem of the Ganga and on the upper Yamuna basin, which constitute just 20% of the Ganga basin.”

Continue reading “DRP: 9 Dec 2019: CITIZENS REPORT ON WHAT AILS GANGA REJUVENATION” →
GermanWatch Report: Can India not assess its Climate Risk & Vulnerability?
Climate Change · Disasters

GermanWatch Report: Can India not assess its Climate Risk & Vulnerability?

SANDRP2 Comments

The Climate Risk Index Briefing Paper “GLOBAL CLIMATE RISK INDEX 2020: Who Suffers Most from Extreme Weather Events? Weather-Related Loss Events in 2018 and 1999 to 2018” released by the Environmental Think tank German Watch[i] on Dec 4, 2019[ii] made a media splash in India[iii] since the report ranked India as fifth country  (it was 14th in 2018 report) most at risk in the context of climate change.

Indeed, it is worth taking note that maximum number of deaths (2081) and Economic losses (USD 37808 million[iv], equivalent to four times country’s annual health sector budget) due to climate change happened in 2018 in India. Both these numbers were highest among the top ten Climate Risk countries of the world in 2018. This is one of the many reports which are coming out on the occasion of 25th Conference of Parties happening in Madrid (Spain) in early December 2019. Continue reading “GermanWatch Report: Can India not assess its Climate Risk & Vulnerability?” →

IRD 2019: Envisioning the Institutional Framework for River Governance
India Rivers Day

IRD 2019: Envisioning the Institutional Framework for River Governance

SANDRPLeave a comment

The sixth addition of India Rivers Day (IRD) 2019 held on Nov. 23 in New Delhi saw participation of scientists, academicians, experts, government officials and civil society groups. In the day long day seminar organized by India Rivers Forum (IRF) presentations, debates and panel discussion were held on the theme “Envisioning the Institutional Framework for River Governance in India”.

After honoring Mustaqueem Mallah with Bhagirath Prayas Samman (BPS) for his sustained efforts made in revival Katha river, Manoj Misra, member Organizing Committee (OC) IRF, presented the summary of “Rejuvenating Ganga A Citizen’s Report”. The report highlighted that most of the government work under Ganga Action Plan (GAP) and National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is done on the main stem of Ganga river which forms only three per cent of the entire basin.

Continue reading “IRD 2019: Envisioning the Institutional Framework for River Governance” →

DRP: 2 Dec. 2019: SC says Municipal Commissioners to be prosecuted under WP Law
DRP News Bulletin

DRP: 2 Dec. 2019: SC says Municipal Commissioners to be prosecuted under WP Law

SANDRPLeave a comment

In a number of ways the Supreme Court order this week that the municipal commissioners and chief officers can be prosecuted for releasing untreated pollutants from the cities to the rivers and other water bodies is path breaking. Can it help fix accountability of release of such untreated sewage? Can it help ensure that cities stop doing this and cities not only have adequate sewage treatment facilities, but also that cities have to ensure that the STPs function to ensure that no untreated sewage ends up the rivers and other water bodies?

Continue reading “DRP: 2 Dec. 2019: SC says Municipal Commissioners to be prosecuted under WP Law” →
Chandigarh: Faidan Pind Drain Shows Ugly Side of ‘City Beautiful’
Urban Water Sector

Chandigarh: Faidan Pind Drain Shows Ugly Side of ‘City Beautiful’

SANDRP1 Comment

Union Territory of Chandigarh enjoys ‘City Beautiful’ tag for better planned urban development. Undoubtedly the city has wide roads, abundant green patches, well planned residential sectors, public amenities, cyclist tracks etc.; however dumping of solid waste and untreated sewage around its periphery shows that the city performs poorly in managing its water and natural sources.

The story of Faidan Nizampur also known as Faidan Pind drain near Airport is an apt example showing that while city manages to get beautiful tag, the rivulets and lives of people around it have turned miserable by increasing pollution load and other issues.

Continue reading “Chandigarh: Faidan Pind Drain Shows Ugly Side of ‘City Beautiful’” →

NSW Supreme Court holds dam operators responsible for Australia’s Brisbane 2011 floods
Dam floods

NSW Supreme Court holds dam operators responsible for Australia’s Brisbane 2011 floods

SANDRPLeave a comment

In a landmark judgment, the January 2011 Brisbane (Australia) floods class action decision was announced by the New South Wales[i] Supreme Court (Justice Robert Beech-Jones) on Nov 29, 2019[ii]. The court held[iii] the State of Queensland, Wivenhoe Dam operators and engineers responsible for inappropriate operation of the dam. It’s one of the largest ever class action suits of Australia and could cost the government millions of dollars. Continue reading “NSW Supreme Court holds dam operators responsible for Australia’s Brisbane 2011 floods” →

India Rivers Day 2019: Mustaqueem Mallah Awarded Bhagrirath Prayas Samman
India Rivers Day

India Rivers Day 2019: Mustaqueem Mallah Awarded Bhagrirath Prayas Samman

SANDRPLeave a comment

For Mustaqueem Mallah, restoration of Katha River is sole aim of his life. And the 30 years old has been making steady and solid efforts to achieve this for past over 8 years. Belonging himself to Mallah (boatman) community, Mustaqueem has been witnessing the degradation of Yamuna river, flowing close to his village Ramra in Kairana block of Shamli district, Uttar Pradesh.

“Loving rivers is my religion”, says Mustaqueem who has formed the Kevat Mallah Ekta Samiti to raise the issues of fishermen, boatmen and riverbed farmers the river dependent communities who have been suffering adversely due to absence of flows in Yamuna river for most months of a year.

Continue reading “India Rivers Day 2019: Mustaqueem Mallah Awarded Bhagrirath Prayas Samman” →