Aug 2025: Ravi Flood Damages Madhopur Barrage Gates in Punjab

August 29, 2025December 13, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: 2 gates of the Madhopur Barrage washed away on Aug 27, flooding parts of Pathankot & Gurdaspur.)

A severe flood spell in Ravi river has damaged at least three flood gates of Madhopur barrage in Pathankot district of Punjab. The incident occurred in the evening of Aug 27, 2025 amid an effort to open the jammed gates of the barrage. The situation became critical after 2.12 lakh cusecs of water discharged from the upstream Ranjit Sagar Dam (RSD) dangerously increased the flood level at the barrage on Aug. 26.

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CWC - Central Water Commission · Floods · Indus

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

July 9, 2025July 9, 2025 SANDRP1 Comment

(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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Andhra Pradesh · Irrigation

Andhra’s Polavaram Banakacherla Project: Another Kaleshwaram in the making?

July 3, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

The Andhra Pradesh’s proposed Polavaram Banakacherla Link Project (PBLP) to transfer Godavari flood waters to Rayalseema region through massively power consuming multi stage lift irrigation projects has all the signs like the ill-fated and controversial Kaleshwaram project of neighbouring Telangana.

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Climate Change · Cloud Burst · Dams · Hydro Disaster

June 2025: NHPC Parbati II, III HEPs damaged in floods

June 29, 2025June 29, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Screen shot of remaining portion of washed away tin-shed of NHPC’s Parbati II HEP)

In addition to severely damaging the Jiwa and Priyadarshini small hydro power projects, the ‘cloudburst’ induced flash floods on June 25, 2025 has also significantly affected the Parbati II & III projects in Sainj Valley of Kullu district in Himachal Pradesh.

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Dam Safety

2024: Has NDSA made our dams any safer?

January 5, 2025January 18, 2025 SANDRP1 Comment

(Feature Image: Srisailam dam in Telangana. Source: Telangana Today)

This annual overview focusses on the functioning of National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and related institutions in 2024 to understand if the functioning of these institutions have made Indian Dams any safer? Here functioning of Central Water Commission (CWC) is also important as CWC people head all the dam safety panels. The dam safety related institutions were formed following the passage of Dam Safety Act 2021 and hence there were promises and hopes that these institutions will make our dams safer.

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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.

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Hydro Disaster

July 2024: ‘Cloudburst’ in Beas Basin Damages 2 HEPs in Himachal Pradesh

August 3, 2024August 6, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Flashflood ravaged 9 Mw Beas Kund HEP Powerhouse complex. Image Source: News on Air)

The cloudburst induced flashflood destruction took place late on July 25, 2024 in Palchan area of Manali tehsil in Kullu district. Many of the media reports have also mentioned about the deluge damaging a hydroelectric power (HEP) project in Palchan just in a single line without revealing any details or even the name of the HEP.

While looking for more information about the affected HEP, we came to know that not just one but two HEPs have faced significant damages due to the flashflood incident. Both projects are owned and run by private companies in upper Beas River basin.

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Yamuna River

Delhi July 2023 Floods: Parliamentary Committee Report Raises More Questions

February 20, 2024February 20, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Waterlogged Red Fort after heavy rainfall and rising Yamuna river water level in New Delhi on Friday (July 14, 2023). Image Credit: ANI/Gulf News)

In absence of any official report so far, the causes behind unusual flood spell in Delhi in July 2023 remains to be fully explained, understood and addressed. Amid this, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources in its 27^th report which was presented in Lok Sabha on February 06, 2024 has in a welcome step, deliberated on the issue under Chapter X titled “Role of Barrages on River Yamuna and Flood Management in Delhi” (60 to 66 pages) and has recommended some measures (page 86-88) to avoid its reoccurrence.

A careful reading of the chapter has only compounded the flood mystery and thrown some questions on the operation and management of Wazirabad and ITO barrages. The report has also revealed some contradictory and confusing statements by Central Water Commission (CWC), Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) and Haryana Government.

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Dam Safety

2023: Safety & Sustainability Concerns On Dams & Hydro Power Projects in India

January 3, 2024January 3, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Drone image from the site of the Teesta III dam in Sikkim, looking towards Chungthang town. Image by Praful Rao of Save the Hills, Source: The Landslide Blog by Dave Petley.)

In this fourth part of annual overview, SANDRP compiles the issues affecting the safety and sustainability of dams and hydro power projects in India during 2023. The report starts with governance and management issues of dams and hydro power projects as highlighted in our weekly Dams, Rivers & People News Bulletin (DRP NB) and blogs all through the year amid rising concerns and disasters on these structures across the country. It then covers some relevant judicial interventions and governments decisions on the issue.

Please also see part one of the series compiling dams and hydro projects related disasters in India in 2023; part two on peoples resistance against destructive dams and hydro projects, part three on dam induced flood incidents in 2023. In the fifth and final part, we have tracked the important dams and hydro projects related decisions taken by Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) and Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) during 2023.

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Dam floods

2023: Incidents of Dam Induced Floods in India

January 2, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Flooded streets of Ankleshwar, Bharuch district, Sept. 19, 2023. Photo: Kalpesh Gurjar/India Today)

In this third annual overview on dams and hydro power projects, we have compiled the reports on flood disasters caused by unscientific or improper operation of dams, hydro and barrage projects in India in 2023. The report highlights criminal negligence by SSNNL and BBMP resulting in massive flood destruction in parts of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

Similarly, the sudden discharges from hydro power dams in Assam, Himachal and Uttarakhand have caused flash flood deluge damaging human properties along the respective rivers. The report also covers some incidents of barrage induced flood events along Ganga in Uttar Pradesh and along Yamuna in Delhi. The first part of the series on Hydro and dam related accidents and second part on People’s Protests against Hydro & Dam Projects in India in 2023 can be seen here and here respectively.

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