DRP 100826: State of Dam Safety Affairs in India

August 10, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Idukki dam in Kerala. Credit: Reju Arnold/ Source: The Week)

The two important developments over the past week have once again highlighted the worrying state of dam safety affairs in India. Firstly, the information shared by Union Jal Shakti Minister on Aug. 03, 2026 in Parliament has revealed that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) has updated Emergency Action Plans (EAPs) for only 735 of the country’s 6,598 completed and operational specified dams as of July 30, 2026.

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DRP 030826: Eight Disasters Hit Himalayan Hydro Projects in Six Weeks

August 3, 2026August 14, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Flash flood in Chenab valley on July 06, 2026 buried several vehicles at Kwar HEP site in Kishtwar. Source: NDTV)

Over the past one and a half months of the 2026 monsoon season (since June 24), at least eight (& counting) major accidents and disasters have affected hydropower and dam projects across the Himalayan region. In addition, two recurring landslide lakes have emerged as significant hazards that are either linked to HEP construction activities or have the potential to impact downstream hydropower infrastructure. Notably, these incidents span the Teesta, Brahmaputra, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej and Yamuna basins underlining that almost no major Himalayan river basin remains untouched by recurring hydro-related disasters.

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Beas · Himalayas · Landslide dam

July 2026: Flood Threat from Landslide Lake in Sainj Valley, Himachal Pradesh

August 1, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Google Earth image marks locations mentioned in the report along landslide lakes and nearby hydropower infrastructure in the Sainj Valley. The red circle marks the probable location of the landslide lake on Jiva nullah, while the yellow circle indicates the landslide lake that formed on Varshanu nullah in June 2025. The numbered locations represent: (1) 1 MW Jiva Small HEP, (2) 100 MW Sainj HEP powerhouse, (3) 800 MW Parbati-II HEP powerhouse and (4) the dam of the 520 MW Parbati-III HEP.)

Fresh landslides and the continued expansion of a landslide-dammed lake on Jiva nullah in the Sainj Valley of Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, have once again raised concerns over a potential downstream flood disaster. Although no official estimate of the lake’s area or stored water volume has been made public, local residents say the impounded water body has expanded steadily over the past three years.

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Chenab · Climate Change · Himalayas · Hydro Disaster

July 2026: Chenab Flood Damages Ratle HEP Coffer Dam in J&K

July 30, 2026July 31, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Flood spell in Chenab river overtopping and damaging part of cofferdam at 850 MW Ratle HEP in Kistwar, J&K. Source: Greater Kashmir).

The cofferdam of Ratle Hydroelectric Project (HEP) was partially damaged due to a floods in Chenab river on July 23, 2026. The 850 MW project is under construction near Drabshalla village in Kishtwar district of Jammu & Kashmir. The cofferdam was built to divert river flows and facilitate construction of the main concrete gravity dam.

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Dams, Rivers & People · Urban Rivers

DRP 270726: Urban Rivers Need Ecological Restoration, Not Concrete, Cosmetic Fixes

July 27, 2026July 27, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Vrishabhavathi river in Bengaluru. Credit: Deccan Herald)

Despite sustaining cities with water supply, groundwater recharge, flood moderation, biodiversity, livelihoods and cultural services, India’s urban rivers continue to deteriorate, as highlighted by several reports this week. The Yamuna in Delhi remains the starkest example – ecologically dead across long stretches due to unchecked sewage inflows, shrinking flows and relentless floodplain encroachment. Similar stories are unfolding across the country, with Mumbai’s Mithi, Hyderabad’s Musi, Chennai’s Cooum, Bengaluru’s Vrishabhavathi, Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati, Vadodara’s Vishwamitri, Jaipur’s Dravyawati, Nasik’s Godvarai, Pune’s Mula-Mutha amd several other urban rivers increasingly reduced to sewage drains or heavily degraded waterways.

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Himalayas · Hydro Disaster · Teesta

July 2026: 25 Workers Killed in NHPC Teesta-VI HEP Tunnel Disaster in Sikkim

July 24, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Joint rescue and recovery operation at Teesta VI HEP tunnel site in Samardung, Sikkim: Image credit: PTI/Source: ETV Bharat)

The methane leak and explosion disaster on 20 July 2026 inside the under-construction ADIT-III tunnel of NHPC’s 500 MW Teesta Stage-VI Hydroelectric Project (HEP) at Samardung in South Sikkim claimed the lives of all 25 trapped workers, making it one of the worst tunnel accidents in India’s hydropower sector.

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Dams, Rivers & People

DRP 20 July 2026: Wither Dam Safety Compliance in India?

July 20, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Featue Image: A CDO team in May 2025 inspects the Srisailam Dam to assess its structural safety. Souce: TNIE)

It’s been five years since the Parliament passed the Dam Safety Act and the institutions including National and State Dam Safety committees and authorities were set up. However, how safe are our dams and how far have we achieved the Dam Safety Compliance norms? The answer to that question is unlikely to be confidence inspiring. This feeling is reinforced with a number of reports in recent weeks.

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Climate Change · Dams · Maharashtra · River Front Development · Urban Rivers

Riparian Forest 22 degrees Celsius cooler than the Riverfront Project!

July 16, 2026July 17, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

Pune saw some of the warmest summer days and nights this summer. So did several Indian cities. With the recent monsoon, the thoughts of this heat might have washed away but it is important that one does not forget the summer heat. Why? Read More:

*Riparian Forest Photo Credit: Tara Tanmayi S.*

Why run and hurry? Here’s dictionary: Microclimate: Microclimate generally refers to the specific climatic conditions within a small area (such as street, park, riverside, etc.). With rise in extreme events like heat and global warming, microclimate is what make cities/ spaces livable. The temperature difference you experience while driving on a road with no tree cover vs with a tree cover is what microclimate is.

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Yamuna River

Yamuna Manthan July 2026: River without Flows Even During Monsoon

July 15, 2026July 15, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: HKB July 06, 2026 hydrograph showing only 9.97 cusecs flow being released in Yamuna despite substantial rise in inflows. Source: CWC)

It is well known that excessive diversion of Yamuna waters at the Hathnikund Barrage (HKB) in Yamuna Nagar, Haryana over the past two-and-a-half decades has turned the perennial river into a seasonal stream in its upper reaches during the lean season. However, an analysis of the Central Water Commission’s (CWC) hourly discharge figures and hydrographs since July 1, 2026 reveals that the river is now being deprived of its essential flows even during the monsoon.

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Dams, Rivers & People

DRP 130726: Urge to set up Statutory River Authority

July 13, 2026July 15, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: River Ravi at Makora Pattan. Photo: Abhay Kanvinde)

Rivers are the most important eco-systems, providing numerous economic, environmental social and cultural benefits. And in answer to the question, who governs India’s Rivers, we are generally likely to get response blank stares. Same is the likely response about the state of India’s rivers, who monitors our Rivers and so on.

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