This analysis tracks the decisions taken by Union Ministry of Environment and Forests’ (MoEF) Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for River Valley and Hydropower Projects between Jan. 10 and Dec. 19, 2025 regarding Dams, Hydroelectric Power (HEP), Pumped Storage Projects (PSP) and Irrigation related proposals seeking Terms of Reference (TOR) for Environmental Impact Assessments and Environment Clearance (EC) approvals. It also covers various water projects related proposals considered by the MoEF’s Forest Appraisal Committee (FAC) between 27 Jan. to Dec. 02, 2025 for Forest Clearances (FC) approvals. SANDRP’s 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020 overviews on the subject can be seen by clicking the hyperlinks.
Continue reading “2025: Env & Forest Clearance Decisions on Dams, Hydro, Irrigation Projects”Tag: Barrage
Dam Protest 2025: People Demands Development Not Displacement
The annual overview tracks top ten people’s resistance stories against large dam projects in India during 2025. It is encouraging to see that the year ended with the Odisha CM announcing scrapping of Samakoi dam project after strong opposition by local villagers. Interestingly, the NTCA and CEC have boldly underlined the threats to tribal people, tigers and forest biodiversity from proposed Morand-Ganjal dam in Madhya Pradesh and dams in Shivalik national park in Haryana. During the year, the villagers have organized mass protests against massive Guna and Dongari dams under PKC link project. Demanding basic information and consultation, the affected tribals have halted ground surveys for Basania dam project.
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केवल सफाई नहीं, चाहिए समग्र यमुना नदी तंत्र संरक्षण नीति
दिल्ली चुनाव के दौरान यमुना नदी प्रदूषण एक अहम मुद्दा बना। चुनाव जीतने के बाद नई सरकार निरंतर यमुना सफाई को लेकर कई घोषणाएं और योजनाओं पर बात कर रही है। स्वयं प्रधानमंत्री और उसके बाद केंद्रीय गृहमंत्री, जल संसाधन मंत्री इसके लिए बड़ी बैठक कर चुके हैं। इन सबमें हरियाणा, दिल्ली और उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार द्वारा मिलकर कार्य करने की आवश्यकता सबसे सराहनीय पक्ष रहा है। सरकार द्वारा एसटीपी क्षमता विकास, औद्योगिक प्रदूषण रोकथाम, जल संचयन बढ़ाने और जल स्रोतों को बचाने की बातें भी कही जा रही है। पर ये सब बातें तो पिछली सरकारों द्वारा पहले भी कही जा चुकी हैं और बातों से आगे ठोस नीति और सफल निष्पदान कार्ययोजना की तरफ नहीं बढ़ पा रही है। इन सबके बीच यमुना नदी स्वास्थ्य में गिरावट जारी है।
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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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Yamuna Manthan 100425: Blasting at Lakhwar Dam Shaking Hills, Damaging River
Feature Image: Screen grab of social media video shows scale of impact of heavy blasting work at Lakhwar dam on 07 April 2025)
A viral social media video media shows the frightened impact of a huge scale blasting work done for building the main structure of controversial Lakhawar dam on Yamuna river in Dehradun district, Uttarakhand. As per the locals, the blast took place in the morning hours of April 07, 2025, and caused shaking of hills to a large extent apart from blocking the flowing course of river with enormous debris for several hours forcing the project authority to employ heavy machines to clear the blockage.
The social media post shared with the video mentioned that the heavy blast scared the birds in the area and questioned how the company was allowed to destroy the entire hill environment. The heavy blast has indeed created havoc for the aquatic life in the river and downstream projects.
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MoJS Comm. Report on July 2023 Delhi Floods: Fails to explain unprecedented flood levels
(Feature Image: A view of overflowing Yamuna river at Wazirabad in New Delhi on 13 July 2023. Credit: HT_PRINT/Source: Live Mint)
Post July 2023 unusual flood spell in Yamuna river reaching unprecedented levels in Delhi, the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) on August 06, 2023, constituted a committee for conducting a “Joint flood management study of river Yamuna for its reach between Hathnikund and Okhla Barrage”. The Committee headed by Chairman, Central Water Commission (CWC) & Ex-Officio Secretary to Govt of India with members from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, NCT of Delhi and expert Organizations was mandated to examine the meteorological aspects, return period of floods, discharging capacity of barrages, functional requirement of ITO barrage, etc.
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Yamuna Manthan 060325: Dolphin Survey Rings Alarm for Pachnad Dam Project
(Feature Image: Line drawing of proposed Pachnad Major Irrigation Project. Source: Amar Ujala)
The findings of the latest Project Dolphin Survey Report released on March 3, 2025, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in presence of Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav have raised significant concerns over proposed Pachnad Major Irrigation Project.
While the survey reiterates the adverse impacts of dams, barrages fragmenting the national aquatic animal’s habitat as the population has been found nearly absent between Narora barrage and Kanpur barrage stretch in main stem of Ganga, it also reveals that the endangered species are preferring refuge in Ganga tributaries and confluence points and has been found in highest numbers along 47 km long river stretch between Chambal and Pachnad in Bhind which still undammed.
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दिल्ली में नई सरकार: क्या अब निर्मल होगी यमुना?
दिल्ली विधानसभा चुनाव प्रचार के दौरान यमुना नदी प्रदूषण एक महत्वपूर्ण राजनितिक मुद्दा बना। चुनाव जीतने के बाद स्वयं प्रधानमंत्री और भाजपा पार्टी के वरिष्ठ नेताओं ने ‘आप’ सरकार की हार के लिए यमुना की दुर्दशा को एक प्रमुख कारण बताया। साथ में यमुना को साफ करने की बात कही। ऐसे में क्या दिल्ली के नागरिक एक स्वच्छ बहती नदी की उम्मीद रख सकते हैं?
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DRP NB 100225: EAC & MoEF’s shocking decision to clear Teesta 3 Dam raises a stir
(Feature Image: Teesta III HEP dam was washed away on the intervening night of Oct. 3-4, 2023 on account of a GLOF. The flood in the downstream was magnified by the dam disaster. Photo: Mayalmit Lepcha/Source: Sanctuary Nature Foundation)
The decision of Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF)’s Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) on River Valley Projects on Jan 10 2025 has understandably raised a stir and earlier the EAC and MoEF reviews and reverses this decision, better it will be. The decision is shocking on a number of counts. The EAC itself had raised a number of issues related to the project in its earlier meeting, but decided to clear the project without getting satisfactory resolution of the issues.
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2024: Do Embankments save from floods or worsen the disasters?
(Feature Image: NDRF personnel conduct a rescue operation at a flood-affected area in Bihar’s Supaul district. Image Credit: PTI/Source Live Mint, Sept. 30)
India has seen several floods brought by breach of embankments during the 2024 monsoon. In Bihar, though the state has received deficit rainfalls, the overspilling of barrages and breaching of several embankments created widescale flood damages. Number of reports have again highlighted the ineffective and adverse role being played by flood protection structures in worsening the deluge impacts. The first part of the overview has covered dam induced flood incidents in the country during 2024 and third part has highlighted incidents of dam induced urban floods.
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