Tungabhadra Dam: A Crest Gate washed away in August 2024

August 11, 2024September 6, 2024 SANDRP3 Comments

In a major dam related disaster at around 10.50 pm on Aug 10, 2024 [i], one of the crest gates at the Tungabhadra dam has broken [ii] near Hospete in Vijayanagara district in Karnataka, causing the release of 70,000 to 100,000 cusecs of stored water. The chain on the 19^th (of total 33 gates) gate of Tungabhadra dam on Tungabhadra river, part of Krishna River Basin, got cut, snapped and was washed away about 100 m from the dam on Saturday. The chain that was used to operate the gate snapped as the welding gave way. The Tungabhadra gates only have chain and not chain and rope as in some other dams. The force of the water in the dam swept the 60-foot-by-20-foot gate, weighing around 20 tonnes, some 500 ft away, J Purushottham, president of the Tungabhadra Farmers’Association, said. This possibly happened due to heavy flows, but also due to wear and tear of over 70 years of operation of the dam. A temporary stop log gate is now being planned, as permanent crest gate will take time.

The disaster raises a number of questions about the operation and maintenance of the dam.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP 050824: Cities fail monsoon test

August 5, 2024February 27, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image by Cartoonist Alok/ Sakal, July 25, 2024)

This monsoon has again shown how our cities have been failing the monsoon test for decades. As rightly suggested in the Indian Express Edit this week, main reasons are: outdated drainage systems, planning that is blind to local hydrology and pathetic state of civic agencies. The last factor in fact needs to change to failed governance at all levels. There is no water or flood policy that guides our cities, nor is there any reward for improving governance, nor any penalties for lack of it.

In fact, with better rainwater management, cities can convert this problem into a blessing, both in terms of water security and also improved state of urban landscape. This would be possible if it prioritizes the city’s capacity to hold, store, recharge and drain the rainwater. Instead, the cities are busying destroying such capacities by destroying the rivers, ridges, forests, local water bodies, groundwater recharge capacities and also the drainage capacity.

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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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Hydro Disaster

Himachal Pradesh: Damages at Luhri-I HEP Reveals Loopholes in Dam Safety Act

July 13, 2024July 14, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Screenshot of Local News India July 06, 2024 video report showing Luhri-I HEP tunnel outlet flooded after rise in Satluj water level.)

The controversial under construction Luhri Hydroelectric Project (HEP) Stage-I is being developed by Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) on Sutlej river near village Nirath village in Shimla and Kullu districts of Himachal Pradesh. The 210 MW HEP involves construction of an 80 m high concrete gravity dam with six bay gated spillways, a 567 m long horse shoe shaped diversion tunnel, two coffer dams, a surface power house, intake structure and penstocks among other parts.

The project would require 149.07 ha land including of 98.10 ha forest land and 50.97 ha private land. The project dam would create 6 km long reservoir area submerging 100.23 ha of land comprising of 63.52 ha of forest and 36.7 ha of private land. 39.47 ha of the submergence area is riverbed land.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP 080724: Why IMD & CWC are unable to improve forecasts, reporting & help improve flood management?

July 8, 2024February 28, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Flood-affected people move to a safer place on a boat in Nalbari district on Friday, July 5, 2024. Image Credit: PTI/Source HT)

We are in the thick of monsoon and also flood season. To manage floods, key inputs are accurate forecasts and prompt, accurate, location, river specific rainfall. India Meteorological department has a key role to play in all these aspects that can help us manage floods, as a very pointed Editorial in Indian Express stated in the context of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s flip flops.

The edit referred to the 2021 parliamentary panel report that asked the Centre to set up modern weather stations in the upstream catchment of the Northeast’s rivers and install sirens to alert people downstream of floods. North East and rest of the country continues to lack such systems.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP 010724: Time for independent review of Polavaram Project?

July 1, 2024February 28, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Work going on Polavaram Project at Polavaram in West Godavari. DC Image: Narayana Rao, Dec. 2020)

The sequence of events over the last two decades that ended this week with white paper on Polavaram project being released by the newly elected Andhra Pradesh govt underlines urgent need for an independent assessment of the multi-state Polavaram Project on Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh.

The story of the project similar to, though a bit longer than that of the ill-fated Kaleshwaram Project of the neighbor Telugu speaking state of Telangana. Both are ill-conceived, expensive, high impact projects on same Godavari River, both taken forward without sufficient studies and implemented without sufficient checks and balances.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP 240624: India to help Bangladesh conserve Teesta River

June 24, 2024February 28, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

The news this week that India and Bangladesh have agreed for India to help Bangladesh conserve the Teesta River that flows from India to Bangladesh. We hope this development is taken to its logical conclusion soon in terms of implementation of the project as soon as possible. This has the potential to not only two nations working together on conservation and rejuvenation of the Teesta River, but also possibly other 53 shared rivers. However, it would have been better if the W Bengal government would have been briefed, taken into confidence and involved in the discussions. History tells us that the cooperation efforts do not succeed without the involvement of all the stakeholders.

The formation of Joint Technical Committee to initiate discussions for the renewal of the Ganges Water Sharing treaty 1996 that will expire in 2026. One hopes that all these happen with a benevolent disposition from India as this has the potential of creating a much stronger bond between the two countries. A good example is the 1996 Ganga treaty that was also signed with a benevolent disposition. This move can also help strengthen the relations across South Asia as both Nepal and Bhutan are hoping to export hydro-electricity to Bangladesh via India.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP 170624: Sardar Sarovar Power House to operate to reduce Dam Water level in anticipation of surplus rains: Welcome, but…

June 17, 2024February 28, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Sardar Sarovar Dam. Image Source: The Economic Times, Sept. 2022)

The news this week that SSNNL has decided to operate the 1200 MW River Bed Power House and the 250 MW Canal Head Power house to reduce the water level in Dam from 122.28 meters on June 14 to around 115 m before the monsoon inflows start, in anticipation of the above average rainfall anticipated during SW Monsoon 2024 is welcome. One hopes this is sign of SSNNL, Gujarat Government and the Narmada Control Authority have learnt some lessons after the avoidable flood disasters brought by SSP in 2023 and earlier in 2019 and 2020, as revealed by SANDRP’s analysis in each of these years.

One hopes this is not just one-off ad-hoc decisions, but part of a systemic change. This will require an integrated basin level reservoir operation policy including all the major dams of the Narmada Valley and put it out in public domain along with clearly defined Standard Operating Procedure, and names of the responsible officials for each of such major dam in the basin. The Central Water Commission will also need to be held accountable for its flood forecasting including the 7-day advance forecasts.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP 100624: Global research suggests: shun big dams, big hydro

June 10, 2024February 28, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: 120 Mw Vyasi HEP dam on Yamuna river in Vikas Nagar, Dehradun. SANDRP/June 2024)

Two separate reports this week shows why we need to shun big dams, big hydro. The New York Times, based on several research papers have said that unstable water cycles are making big hydropower projects unreliable. This is clear this year from a number of countries, including India, China, Canada, Turkey and Ecuador among others. The report also emphasizes the loss of biodiversity, methane emissions, submergence, among other issues plaguing the hydropower projects.

Another report quoting Stanford University study says that big reservoirs cannot meet future water storage needs and we need to go for alternative, nature-based storage options. Alternative storage options like soil moisture, aquifers and local water systems. Such storage options also provide “the critical synergy between water infrastructure, climate adaptation, and agricultural resilience.”

Both are highly eminently relevant for India. When will we start adopting such options?

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP 270524: Illegal Sand Mining Menace: Can Judiciary act effectively?

May 27, 2024February 28, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Mechanized mining in Yamuna river in Vikas Nagar. Image credit: Nishant Panwar, 12 May 2024)

The river sand mining stories this week makes fascinating reading. We have stories from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab. The stories from first five states are related to judiciary. One story from Punjab is about collapse of a bridge due to illegal mining and another about how illegal sand mining is part of electoral narrative. The story from Madhya Pradesh is possibly most interesting and most indicative of the direction in which we need to go. In MP at a public hearing for sand mining project, the women of the villages, including sarpanch, have decided to save the river rather than allow unsustainable mining.

The stories from five states about judicial actions includes the one from Andhra Pradesh where the Supreme Court of India has warned the govt about contempt action. The apex court has set up committees of govt officials in Krishna and Guntur districts to stop illegal mechanized sand mining. The story from Rajasthan is about Supreme Court stopping sand mining in 1 km radius around Sariska Tiger Reserve. The stories from next two states is about the NGT action. Lastly, the story from Goa is about High Court action.

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