2026: Making Sense of Gandak Flood II

November 5, 2026November 5, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Flood inundated areas in Saran district after a breach in Gandak embankment. Source: IAF, Oct. 02, 2026)

After July 2020 Gandak floods, SANDRP had highlighted inconsistencies in flood levels recorded at the Central Water Commission’s (CWC) monitoring stations along the river and called for an independent investigation into embankment breaches, obstructions in the river and the role of Nepal’s catchment in the floods. Six years later, these concerns remain relevant and the Gandak continues to experience unusual flood spells.

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Dams, Rivers & People

DRP 021126: Honestly assessing the impacts of Pump Storage Projects

November 2, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Felled trees lie piled up at the site of Torrent’s proposed pumped-storage project in Karjat. Source: Mumbai Mirror)

Amid growing opposition to the proposed 3,000 MW Saidongar-I pumped-storage hydropower project in Karjat, Maharashtra, the most important question that needs to be asked is whether we are doing honest assessment of impacts of such projects. It may be remembered that these are not even location specific projects. A pump storage project does not have to come in the middle of western ghats, needing destruction of thousands of trees. Can these be called renewable energy projects or ‘clean’ without adequately assessing their impacts on forests, water sources, wildlife and local communities.

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Bhutan · Climate Change · GLOF · Himalayas

Oct 2026: Shintaphu Lake GLOF and Artificial Lake in Bhutan

October 30, 2026October 31, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Shintaphu Lake. Source: The Bhutanese. It is not clear whether the image is old or post Oct 2026 GLOF)

A glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) was reported from Shintaphu Lake in Bhutan’s Gasa district on the evening of Oct. 29, 2026. The disaster triggered flash flood alerts in downstream areas of Bhutan and India. Bhutan’s National Centre for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM) is stated to be monitoring the situation. The cause, volume of water released and full extent of the damage are still being assessed.

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Dams, Rivers & People

DRP 261026: Time to Prioritize Wetlands Conservation, Protection

October 26, 2026November 1, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Giri taal in Kashipur lying in degraded condition. Bhim Singh Rawat, SANDRP)

The latest directions of the Supreme Court of India offer hope for wetland conservation but also raise serious concerns about the state of their protection. It is welcome that the apex court has recognized the water bodies as vital sources of drinking water and affirmed that their protection falls within the ambit of the fundamental right to life.

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Dams, Rivers & People

DRP 191026: India Disaster Management Must Shift from Response to Prevention

October 19, 2026October 19, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: A large part of residential areas witnessed severe flooding in first week of Oct. 2026 in Fazullaganj of Lucknow after heavy rains and flood in Gomti river. Source: Screenshot of FB post)

Two informative reports by Amal Chandra and Venkatesh Dutta in Down To Earth this week have once again highlighted serious gaps in India’s disaster management system. While our forecasting and response have improved in some cases, the number of disasters has also increased sharply. We often fail to understand the exact chain of events and remain reactive until the last moment. A key problem is that our system continues to focus more on response than prevention and lacks a holistic approach to disaster risk reduction.

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Dams, Rivers & People

DRP 121026: Will India’s mining ravaged rivers get justice this time?

October 12, 2026October 12, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Google Earth May 2025 imagery showing Sone riverbed ravaged by excessive mechanized sand mining activities near Paliganj in Bihar)

In a significant development last week, the Supreme Court has expanded its illegal sand mining case from the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary to rivers across India. For over six months, the apex court has been hearing the matter and issuing directions to state governments of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. However, the directions issued so far are yet to be fully implemented.

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Chambal · Dams, Rivers & People · Ganga · Gangetic Dolphins · Rivers Biodiversity

National Dolphin Day 2026: State of Gangetic Dolphins

October 6, 2026October 9, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Collage of Gangetic dolphin corpses found in UP, Bihar, Assam & West Bengal between Dec. 2025 & Aug. 2026.)

Marking the National Dolphin Day-Oct. 5, 2026-, this report highlights the deaths, threats and relevant developments concerning the national aquatic animal. In last one year, we have found reports of at least ten Gangetic dolphin deaths, including six in Uttar Pradesh, two in West Bengal, and one each in Bihar and Assam. The reported death toll is higher than in the previous two years, indicating continuing concerns over their survival.

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Dams, Rivers & People · Drought

DRP 051026: Drought: how prepared are we?

October 5, 2026October 6, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Weekly drought monitor map dated 23 Sept. 2026 shows drought condition in India. Credit: Vimal Misra/ Drought Monitor India )

The DRP issue this week seems to have one central theme, connecting the various parts: Deficit monsoon leading to reduced reservoir levels, increased pollution, mass fish deaths and announcements of unprecedented droughts in more than one state. Since it was known to be a super El Nino Year and even IMD had predicted (though ratgher conservatively) deficit monsoon, the ultimate deficit of 12.6% in SW Monsoon rainfall may in fact seem like bit of a relief. This was largely thanks to unexpected above average rainfall in the wettest month of SW Monsoon, July, largely due to favorable Indian Ocean Dipole.

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Floods · Highest Flood Level · Monsoon · Rivers

Rivers in Extreme Floods During SW Monsoon 2026

October 3, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Aerial view of a residential area inundated by Ganga floodwaters in Patna, Bihar on Sept. 10, 2026. Source: TNIE/Credit: PTI)

This is the final analysis of CWC’s flood monitoring sites where we could track rivers crossing their respective Highest Flood Levels (HFL) in months of July (at 15 sites), Aug. ( at 10 sites) and Sept. ( at 25 sites) during South West Monsoon Season 2026.

In addition, there are 2 sites where HFL breach has happened on Oct. 01, 2026 and 1 site where HFL breach is missed by narrow margin on Oct. 02, 2026. All the three sites are part of Ganga basin and details of the same is given in table 1 and 2 below.

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Floods · Ganga · Highest Flood Level · Rivers

Rivers Crossing Highest Flood Levels in Sept 2026

October 1, 2026October 2, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: River Yamuna at Palla in Delhi in Aug. 2026. BS Rawat/SANDRP)

In the last month of south west monsoon season 2026, we have been able to track Central Water Commission’s (CWC) 25 flood monitoring sites where rivers have crossed their respective Highest Flood Levels (HFL). These sites are spread over 5 river basins in 5 states.

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