DRP 241125: Judiciary’s ineffectiveness on Rivers Pollution issues

November 24, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Luni river filled with untreated effluents from Balotra dyeing industries on Nov. 12, 2025. Source: Earth Warrior)

While there is no success story of water pollution control in India, where pollution control boards can claim credit for such success, the judiciary also has a significant role in ensuring pollution control in rivers and other water bodies. The state of rivers and other water bodies in India shows how ineffective has been the judiciary in India. Two cases from this week again provides an opportunity to correct this situation: one a suo moto case in the Supreme Court related to Rajasthan Rivers like Jojari, Bandi and Luni and another one in the Delhi High Court related to Yamuna river in the National Capital.

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Fish, Fisheries, Fisherfolk

WFD 2025: Important Studies, Reports on Freshwater Fish Species, Habitats

November 21, 2025November 23, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

Marking World Fisheries Day (WFD) 2025, we present some of important studies and reports highlighting the growing threats over freshwater fish species in India and across the globe. The multi-taxon global freshwater fauna assessment for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species published this year is among most concerning report revealing looming extinction threats over 24% of freshwater fauna worldwide. This includes the hump-backed mahseer, subterranean snakehead and peninsular hill trout found in rivers and waterbodies of Western Ghats.

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Himachal Pradesh: Sainj HEP Remains Out of Operation for over 4 months

November 16, 2025November 16, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Outlet of Sainj HEP powerhouse tunnel buried under silt in last week of June 2025. Source: Hariram Chaudhary, Sainj)

The Sainj Hydroelectric Project (HEP) in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh has been out of operation for over the past four months. The 100 Mw project of the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) is the fourth HEP which was severely affected by flash flood in Jiwa nullah on June 25, 2025.

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Climate Change · DRP News Bulletin

DRP 101125: Does the world still need the annual jamboree of COP, given its record?

November 10, 2025November 10, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature image is from the New York Times)

The annual Conference of Parties (COP) on climate change begins its annual meeting in Brazil today. Consider the track record of the annual meetings so far, it is a valid question to ask, as the Question of Cities asks, Does the World still need this meeting with such a huge carbon footprint of its own? Is it a futile exercise now?

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Dams, Rivers & People

DRP 271025: Without reliable data, is there any hope for our Rivers?

October 27, 2025October 27, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Drain No. 2 carrying untreated effluents in Yamuna river in Panipat. March 30, 2025, SANDRP)

The following report this week about lack of reliable data on Rivers raises right questions, including if there is any hope for our rivers without such reliable data? The report however, misses the point that Central Water Commission, which works more like a lobby for large dams, has clearly no interest in sustaining, reviving or rejuvenating our works.

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Dams, Rivers & People

DRP 201025: Indian Cities Drowning in Crisis of Governance

October 20, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: A flooded housing society in Bangaluru after heavy rainfalls in Sept. 2022)

The excellent opinion piece below by Soumya Sarkar clearly explains how absence of hydrological governance has been root cause for increasing incidents of urban flooding across the country. Indeed, the urban development in India is construction centric where resilience has become a postscript rather an inbuilt feature.

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Dams, Rivers & People

DRP 131025: Pump Storage Hydro Projects facing increasing opposition

October 13, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: People raising objections against Sharavathi PSP at a Public Hearing in Shivamogga on Sept. 16)

It is interesting that this week there are reports about growing opposition to Pump Storage Hydro Projects across the country including in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh (proposed project near Bargi reservoir in Narmada Valley) besides similar opposition seen earlier in Maharashtra. This should wake up the authorities and realise that the assumption of such projects being socially and environmentally benign is totally wrong.

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Beas · Climate Change · Himalayas · Small Hydro

Himachal Pradesh: Kullu Villagers Demand Suspension of Sarbari-I SHEP

October 10, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

Blaming Sarbari I Small Hydro Power (HEP) project for causing reoccurring disasters, the villagers of Mashana panchayat in Lag Valley of Kullu district have demanded suspension of the 4.5 Mw project operation. As per the villagers the leakages in the surge shaft and head race tunnel and burst of penstock of the project in August and Sept. months this year have caused landslides and flash flood disasters impacting their land and livelihoods. They have said that due to these disasters about 80 meter Mashana link road, some houses, a water tank and over hundreds of bigha of fertile farmland have been severely damaged.

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Dams, Rivers & People

DRP 061025: Dangers of expediting Hydro Projects in the Himalayas

October 6, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Drone image of the Teesta III dam in Sikkim, taken from Chungthang town looking downstream. Image by Praful Rao of Save the Hills.)

According to a report in the National Daily, the Centre has decided to hire outside experts on fixed contracts to evaluate designs of planned hydropower projects, a move aimed at speeding up construction of several dams in the pipeline, an official said on Oct 1. The Union Govt plans to expedite construction of a slew of hydroelectric projects, especially in Jammu & Kashmir and the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.

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Dams, Rivers & People

DRP 290925: Should Punjab & HP not have decisive say in Operations of Bhakra & Pong dams during Monsoon?

September 29, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

One of the key issues that comes up from the reports this week is regarding Punjab and Himachal Pradesh having greater say in operation of Bhakra and Pong dams during the monsoon. Particularly since when these dams are mismanaged as it happened once again during the SW Monsoon 2025, leading to the dams contributing to worsening the flood disaster in Punjab. The demand is legitimate, considering that these two states are the ones that will be positively or negatively affected when the Bhakra and Pong dams are properly or improperly operated during monsoon.

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