DRP NB 161224: Arunachal Pradesh needs dialogue on dams

December 16, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Resident in upper Siang protesting agaisnt SUMP on Dec. 15. Image source: Ebo Milli @Ebo_Mili_Linggi on X)

Hundreds of People of Siang, East Siang and Upper Siang Districts of Arunachal Pradesh came out in peaceful protests on Dec 14 2024. They opposed the govt effort to deploy armed central and state police forces for a pre-feasibility study for the 12500 MW hydropower project on Siang River, a tributary of Brahmaputra River.

Indeed, as remarkably articulate report by in Arunachal Times said, Siang needs dialogue not guns. In fact, the Chief Minister recently and even the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister had earlier promised to the people of the state that if they do not want big dams, such projects will not be taken without people’s consent as there were options for power and development.

Continue reading →

Gangetic Dolphins

2024: Dams, Mining, Construction Damaging Gangetic Dolphin Habitats

October 20, 2024October 20, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Dolphin corpse found along Ganga in Sahibganj, Jharkhand in Feb. 2024. Image source: ETV Bharat)

Despite declaring Gangetic Dolphin a National Aquatic Animal in May 2010, launching of Project Dolphin in August 2020 and recognizing October 05 as National Dolphin Day since 2022, the key species indicating river health continues to face unnatural deaths and threats from various developmental activities. This overview highlights the incidents of suspicious death of precious mammal and looming threats on its habitat along with some noteworthy steps being taken by conservationists and governments to protect the endangered species.

Continue reading →

Highest Flood Level

SW Monsoon 2024: Rivers Crossing Highest Flood Levels

October 16, 2024October 2, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

During southwest monsoon season 2024, SANDRP has tracked at least 64 flood forecast and flood monitoring sites where the respective rivers have crossed the highest flood levels (HFL). Here we present detailed analysis of these sites along with some key observations and other relevant information. SANDRP’s previous reports on the subject can be seen here: HFL breach incidents in 2018, 2019, 2020, May-Sept 2021, Oct.-Nov 2021, May-June 2022, July-October 2022, June-October 2023.

Continue reading →

DRP News Bulletin

DRP NB 020924: HYDRA to protect water bodies in Hyderabad – a landmark move?

September 2, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: An analysis of satellite imaging of 54 lakes taken in 1979 and 2023, secured by the HYDRAA from the NRSA shows that 40 lakes or nearly 75 per cent of lakes have shrunk by half. (Image: Twitter/DC)

The Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Monitoring and Protection Agency, or Hydra was established under GO 99, dated July 19 2024. A task the agency has taken up in all seriousness is protection of water bodies in the Hyderabad Capital Region (it includes 4 districts). To begin with it has started demolition of buildings illegally built inside the Full Tank Area (FTL) and Buffer area of the water bodies.

In July, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy replaced the Enforcement, Vigilance and Disaster Management (EVDM) wing of the government with Hydra, a body mandated to tackle illegal encroachment on water bodies in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits and surrounding areas. Its strength was upgraded from around 800 to 2,200 and its officials came directly under the principal secretary, municipal administration and urban development or the CM himself. “Hydra will also ensure the protection of water bodies in and around Hyderabad,” former EVDM commissioner and Hydra chief A V Ranganath said during its inception.

Continue reading →

DRP News Bulletin

DRP NB 010724: Time for independent review of Polavaram Project?

July 1, 2024July 3, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Work going on Polavaram Project at Polavaram in West Godavari. DC Image: Narayana Rao, Dec. 2020)

The sequence of events over the last two decades that ended this week with white paper on Polavaram project being released by the newly elected Andhra Pradesh govt underlines urgent need for an independent assessment of the multi-state Polavaram Project on Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh.

The story of the project similar to, though a bit longer than that of the ill-fated Kaleshwaram Project of the neighbor Telugu speaking state of Telangana. Both are ill-conceived, expensive, high impact projects on same Godavari River, both taken forward without sufficient studies and implemented without sufficient checks and balances.

Continue reading →

DRP News Bulletin

DRP NB 181223: Varanasi’s illegal tent city inaugurated by Prime Minister in Jan 2023

December 18, 2023December 18, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Collage of Sentinel Hub satellite images of Tent City location in Ganga river bed in Varanasi from Nov. 26, 2022 to Dec. 11, 2023)

While the NGT putting a stay on the Varanasi Tent city and imposing a fine of Rs 25000 on MoEF for not responding to NGT about how the turtle sanctuary was denotified is welcome, we hope NGT takes it to its logical conclusion. It is strange, to say the least to see the NMCG telling NGT through its one page report dated Dec 13 2023 that the Varanasi Development Authority proposal dated Nov 28 2023 for tent city is under consideration! The Tent city companies were fined by NGT, but UP PCB is yet to do anything to collect the fine. Most interestingly, the Prime Minister, no less, inaugurated the tent city project on January 13 2023, over 11 months back! And very shockingly, none of the National Media is even reporting this remarkable situation.

Continue reading →

Floods

Rivers Crossing High Flood Levels In SW Monsoon 2023 in India

October 25, 2023October 2, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Yamuna river near CWC flood monitoring site at Mawi in Kairana. SANDRP/June 2023)

SANDRP has compiled Highest Flood Level (HFL) breach incidents, which includes 2 incidents in June, 34 in July, 17 in August, 22 in September 2023. This report presents the final summary of all HFL breach incidents taking place during South West Monsoon season 2023. The PDF file has the details on all the HFL breach. Our previous reports on the subject can be seen here: HFL breach incidents in 2018, 2019, 2020, May-Sept 2021, Oct.-Nov 2021, May-June 2022 and July-October 2022. .

Continue reading →

CWC - Central Water Commission · Dams

Rivers Breaching Highest Flood Levels in July 2023

August 3, 2023September 1, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

( Feature Image: CWC’s water level gauge set up along Yamuna river at Old Railway Bridge, Delhi. 28 June 2023/ SANDRP)

The analysis of hydrographs being published on Center Water Commission’s (CWC) Flood Forecasting website shows that the previous Highest Flood Levels (HFL) have been breached at least at 34 flood monitoring sites across the country in July 2023. The river basin wise details of all these sites are given in tables below.

Continue reading →

CWC - Central Water Commission

Rivers Breaching High Flood Level in June 2023

July 6, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

In the first month of South West (SW) monsoon season June 2023, there have been Highest Flood Level (HFL) breach incidents at two sites. Both of these sites namely Suklai on Suklai river and DRF on Puthimari river are level monitoring sites located in Baksa district of Assam in Brahmaputra basin.

Interestingly, the old HFL at both sites were attained in 2020 and 2022 only and the old HFLs were breached thrice between June 15 and 20, 2023. The details of old and new HFLs for these sites are given in table below.

Continue reading →

Gangetic Dolphins

India Lost 10 More Gangetic River Dolphins In One Year in 2022-23

May 6, 2023December 27, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Post mortem being done of a dolphin carcass found at gate number 01 of Girija barrage in Bahraich, UP. Image Source: Dainik Bhaskar, Nov. 2022)

May 18, 2023, would mark 13 year of declaration of Gangetic dolphin as a national aquatic animal. However, the habitats of this ‘highly endangered’ species continue to suffer anthropogenic threats including wrong operations of dams & barrages, inland waterways projects, decreasing flows & increasing pollution in rivers, sand mining and poaching etc. in India. As a result, there are frequent incidents of mysterious and unnatural deaths of these fresh water mammals.

SANDRP has been tracking such incidents since January 2020 and our previous two reports published in January 2021 & April 2022 on the subject have complied deaths of at least 21 Gangetic dolphins in 2 years (2020 and 2021). In continuation of the same, this account covers the incidents of deaths of Gangetic river dolphins during past one year.

Continue reading →