Rivers Crossing the Highest Flood Levels in July 2025
CWC - Central Water Commission · Highest Flood Level · River Basin

Rivers Crossing the Highest Flood Levels in July 2025

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(Feature Image: Hydrograph of Pin river at Gulling site in Lahul & Spiti on July 04, 2025)

In July 2025 during the South West Monsoon, we have found rivers crossing their respective Highest Flood Levels (HFL) at least at 12 flood monitoring sites of Central Water Commission (CWC). Of the 12 sites, 11 are in Ganga basin and 1 site is in Narmada basin. The details of all these sites are given in table below. The sixth column of the table is the information about rise in meter (m) over the old HFL, duration (hours-hrs) the river has stayed in extreme floods and number of years (yrs) after the HFL is breached. The 12 sites are spread over 5 states: Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand.

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

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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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July 2025: GLOF Disaster Impact Ten HEPs in Nepal
Climate Change · Glaciers · Hydro Disaster

July 2025: GLOF Disaster Impact Ten HEPs in Nepal

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(Pre and post flood images of Tibet’s Pyurepu Glacier region. Source)

A Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) disaster in Lehende Khola river impacted several hydro-electric power (HEP) projects in Nepal on July 8, 2025. The deadly flood occurred around 3 am in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts of Nepal bordering Tibet region under China control. As a result, the water level in Lehende river rose by 3.5 meters in Timure, Rasuwa. The merging of Kerung and Lehende rivers in Tibet forms the Bhotekoshi river in Nepal and it is part of Trishuli sub-basin under Narayani river system.

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DRP 210725: Moving Joshimath Landslide a threat to Tapovan Vishnugad HEP in UKD?
Climate Change · Dams · Disasters · Floods · Rivers

DRP 210725: Moving Joshimath Landslide a threat to Tapovan Vishnugad HEP in UKD?

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(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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Letter: Encroachment of Yamuna floodplain near Wazirabad Barrage
floodplains · Floods · Yamuna River

Letter: Encroachment of Yamuna floodplain near Wazirabad Barrage

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To,                                                                                                            July 17, 2025

1 Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena

Honorable LG, Delhi Civil Lines,

New Delhi-110054

pstolg.delhi@nic.in

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NH66 in Kerala: Built Against Water logic, Designed to Collapse?
Infrastructure

NH66 in Kerala: Built Against Water logic, Designed to Collapse?

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Guest Article: Sridhar Radhakrishnan

The collapse of the NH66 highway in Kerala is not yet another accident. It is the result of designing roads without listening to water, terrain, or people. Built in defiance of Kerala’s monsoon logic, paddy-wetland systems, and ecological memory, the highway blocks natural drainage, floods homes, and divides society. From ignored protests to forgotten flood lessons, its collapse is a story of what happens when asphalt arrogance meets a land shaped by rain.

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DRP 140725: Dam decommissioning spreads to China
Climate Change · Dam Decommissioning · Floods · River Restoration

DRP 140725: Dam decommissioning spreads to China

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(Feature Image: Copco 2 dam removal on the Klamath River, California. Credit: Swiftwater Films, Source: American Rivers)

China decommissions hundreds of dams along Red river China has claimed to have dismantled 300 dams and decommissioned more than 90 percent of small hydropower stations along the Chishui River, also known as the Red River, a key tributary of the upper Yangtze. The move is seen as one of the largest state-led efforts to restore aquatic biodiversity in Asia’s longest river, reversing decades of hydro-infrastructure development that critically endangered native fish species, including the Yangtze sturgeon, the South China Morning Post reported.

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Yamuna Manthan July 2025: Is Delhi Ready for July 2023 like Yamuna Floods?
Environmental Flow · floodplains · Floods · River Pollution · Yamuna River

Yamuna Manthan July 2025: Is Delhi Ready for July 2023 like Yamuna Floods?

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(Feature Image: EOS-RS Flood Proxy Map: New Delhi, Floods, 12 July 2023,v0.4)

July 13 will mark two years since the Yamuna river stretch in national capital witnessed unprecedented flood spell. The river not just submerged every part of existing available floodplain by several feet but also spilled over to reclaim its lost channels. The unusual flood also breached historic 1978 flood level at Delhi railway bridge by a huge margin, setting new benchmark.

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Destruction at Kerrville in the aftermath of the 4th July Floods Photo provided by Kerrville Mayor, KUT Austin Guadalupe River Floods: Understanding the tragedy along ‘The Most Dangerous River valley in the USA’
Climate Change · Dams · Floods

Guadalupe River Floods: Understanding the tragedy along ‘The Most Dangerous River valley in the USA’

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“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.

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Himachal Pradesh: Why CWC’s Forecasting is Unavailable Amidst Flood Disaster?
CWC - Central Water Commission · Floods · Indus

Himachal Pradesh: Why CWC’s Forecasting is Unavailable Amidst Flood Disaster?

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(Feature Image: Screenshot of inactive hydrograph for Solang station on Beas river in Mandi district. Source: CWC Flood Forecast website)

Despite disastrous flood events causing significant destruction to human lives and infrastructures for past three years, the state of Himachal Pradesh has not seen much required improvements in flood monitoring and forecast servicesby the Central Water Commission’s (CWC) to help minimize the destruction toll.

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