June 2025: ‘Cloudburst’ damages Jiwa hydro project in Sainj Valley, Himachal Pradesh

June 27, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Submerged powerhouse of Jiwa SHP in Siund, Sainj. Source: Amar Ujala)

A massive flash flood following a ‘cloudburst’ has totally damaged the powerhouse and weir site of the Jiwa Small Hydroelectric Project (SHP) in Sainj Valley of Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh on June 25, 2025. The powerhouse of 1 Mw SHP is located in Siund village area near the confluence point of Jiwa nullah with Pin Parbati river. Its weir site is located about 2 km upstream on the Jiwa stream.

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floodplains · Free flowing rivers · River Restoration · Yamuna River

Yamuna Manthan June 2025: Positive water, river stories from Yamuna basin

June 19, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

POSITIVE YAMUNA REPORTS

Uttar Pradesh’s Noon river runs again Jalaun farmers in Bundelkhand will not have to toil too much this season to get water for crops. They have almost revived an 81km-long local river that had dried up completely. Community members have restored the drainage basin over a 14km course of Noon river to create a funnel through which water has again entered it. The river had dried up to encroachments and poor rainfall. The revival commenced in 2021 and reached the final stage only recently, with voluntary labour contributions from thousands of local men and women. Officials said the water would start flowing through the entire course of the river in a fortnight. The river is expected to help more than 15,350 farmers.

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Yamuna River

Yamuna Manthan 090525: Will we STOP Commercialization of River Floodplains?

May 9, 2025May 12, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Redstone stuctures at Vasudev Riverfront site on Yamuna. BS Rawat, SANDRP/ April 2025)

The rhetoric of Sabarmati type river front project for Yamuna in Delhi is getting louder. For over a decade, the DDA has already been working on 11 projects disguised as ‘floodplain restoration’. In recent past, none other than the NGT has flagged concerns over permanent structures and concretization work in some of these projects. Notably, all these cosmetic projects have suffered huge damages in the July 2023 floods.

Despite this, showing no regard to laws and sanctity of floodplains, DDA (Delhi Development Authority) has commercialized some of the projects including the Vasudev riverfront and the Baansera park. Since there is no autonomous body functioning in Delhi to hold the DDA accountable, every week there is news about a new riverfront or park project aiming at further commercializing the Yamuna floodplain.

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Yamuna River

Yamuna Manthan 100425: Blasting at Lakhwar Dam Shaking Hills, Damaging River

April 10, 2025April 11, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

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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Urban Flood · Yamuna River

MoJS Comm. Report on July 2023 Delhi Floods: Fails to explain unprecedented flood levels

April 10, 2025April 10, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(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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Water Options

World Water Day 2025: Smart Cities, Rain & Sewage

March 21, 2025March 23, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Members of Mount Rain drops Appartment residential Association posing for a picture at STP set up at a private gated community in Coimbatore. Source: EPS)

Rains and sewage are biggest resources available to Indian cities which can be harvesting and treated to meet the ever-increasing water needs. This can not only help significantly in checking groundwater depletion but also reduce pollution levels in urban water bodies. On the World Water Day 2025, we compile top ten media reports highlighting progress in utilizing these viable alternatives in urban India. The reports suggest that while some south Indian cities particularly Bengaluru and to some extent Chennai is taking some positive steps in this direction, there is very little action happening in the rest of cities. Interestingly, 6 of the ten top stories here are from South India and only one each from Central and North India.

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Yamuna River

Yamuna Manthan 060325: Dolphin Survey Rings Alarm for Pachnad Dam Project

March 6, 2025March 6, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(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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Yamuna River

दिल्ली में नई सरकार: क्या अब निर्मल होगी यमुना?

February 16, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

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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Wetlands

WWD 2025: Failing to Protect Wetlands for Common Future

February 2, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Machhi Talab in Dehradun chocked by solid waste, vegetion in May 2024. BS Rawat/SANDRP)

While we celebrate World’s Wetlands Day 2025 with theme of “Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future”, the top ten reports from 2024 show that the plight of wetlands in India remains miserable making the future of the waterbodies and dependent people uncertain. While govts continue to be lethargic in identifying and notifying the wetlands in the country, the govts initiated developmental plans, projects are further making them vulnerable to extinction. Amid this the threats from encroachment, siltation, pollution and climate change are only increasing. Also see the first part of the overview highlighting the deteriorating situation of Ramsar wetlands in India.

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Dam Safety

2024 Dam Safety

January 26, 2025January 26, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Coimbatore Corporation Commissioner M. Sivaguru Prabakaran inspecting the Siruvani dam on January 8, 2025. Photo, Text Source: The Hindu)

This annual overview complies the remaining relevant reports from 2024 concerning safety of dam structures in India. As per a report, the incident of damage to Tungabhadra dam gate in August 2024, raised alarm for other aging dams in Karnataka. In fact, the Bhadra dam also witnessed jamming of a gate due to rust in June 2024. Similarly, the Kabini reservoir has been dealing with a leakage for the past three years. The report further highlights negligence in dams’ monitoring and inadequate expertise and corruption often impacting the quality of maintenance works of dams in the state. As per another report taking sou moto action, the Karnataka High Court in January 2024, banned mining and blasting activities within a 20 km radius of the Krishna Raja Sagara dam in the state.

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