DRP 070926: Protect Himalayan Region from Cascading Disasters

September 7, 2026September 7, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Hunge Bazar in Nuwakot, damaged by the Bhotekoshi floods. Source: Angad Dhakal/TKP)

In the wake of the Aug. 26 Nepal disaster, civil society groups in India have demanded urgent measures to protect people, mountains and rivers from increasingly complex and cascading disasters across the Himalayan region. The statement issued under the umbrella of People for Himalaya rightly appeals for high-altitude and trans-Himalayan areas to be treated as no-go zones for high-risk mega infrastructure projects, including large hydropower projects.

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Dams, Rivers & People

DRP 310826: Nepal’s Rasuwa flood disaster: Is there a limit to Human Folly?

August 31, 2026August 31, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Map of Hydropower Projects and condition in Trishuli- Bhote Koshi Basin Map by SANDRP made with Google LLM)

Even as Nepal, Tibet, India and other countries whose citizens are in missing list following the Aug 26 2026 Rasuwa flood disaster for Nepal, and even as the full dimensions of the disaster are still unfolding, a Bloomberg journalist asked SANDRP a pertinent question. Seeing the major role played by operating and under construction hydropower projects in the disaster and the missing list of hundreds of people from such projects, he noted that deaths at disaster hit hydropower projects in Himalayas is a recurring story. During and after every such disaster, there is talk of learning lessons such projects, but there is little change in decision making process. His question was, is there a limit to human folly, beyond which we will see some genuine change?

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DRP 170826: Assam Floods: Engineering alone cannot help

August 17, 2026August 17, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Drone image showing flood situation in Assam. Source: TNIE/ Credit ANI, July 26, 2026)

Among many analyses of the recent Assam Floods, three contrasting ones stand out to illustrate the limitation of supremely confident perspective that engineering alone will solve the problem. One of them is by Mitul Baruah and another one is on edit page of The Times of India on Aug 17 2026. The third one by Arupjyoti Saikia is published in Indian Express. The one in TOI does not look at cultural or historical aspects of floods in Assam, nor the uniqueness of unprecedented upper Assam floods & the reasons behind it. The analysis by Mitul Baruah, in contrast, takes into account all this and in fact comes from lived experience in Majuli. Arupjyoti Saikia, an environmental historian, takes historical perspective.

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Alaknanda · Climate Change · Disasters · Ganga · Himalayas · Hydro Disaster

Aug 2026: Eleven Killed in THDC’s Vishnugad-Pipalkoti HEP Tunnel Disaster

August 17, 2026August 26, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Rescuers using make shift raft made of plastic drums to search for the missing workers inside flooded Vishnugad-Pipalkoti HEP. Source: Amar Ujala/Aug. 14, 2026)

At least eight workers have been killed in a major disaster inside the tunnel of under-construction Vishnugad Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project (HEP) on Aug. 13, 2026 in Uttarakhand. The incident occurring between 6:30 and 7:00 pm inside the project’s Tail Race Tunnel (TRT) near Mayapur area in Chamoli district, has also left 12 workers injured and two still missing. The rescued workers have sustained fractures and other trauma injuries and are currently under treatment. The disaster happened about 1.5 km inside the 3 km long TRT, being constructed between Durgapur to Siyasain area in Pipalkoti.

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Dams, Rivers & People

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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Climate Change · Dams, Rivers & People · Himalayas · Hydro Disaster

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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Climate Change · Himalayas · Hydro Disaster · Ravi River

July 2026: Flood Damages Chanju-III HEP Again in Ravi Basin, Himachal Pradesh

July 31, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Flash flood at Chanju III HEP site in Chamba on July 19. Source: The Modern Himachal)

A flash flood in the Chanju stream on July 19, 2026, caused significant damage to the Chanju-III Hydroelectric Project (HEP) in Ravi basin. The project is being built near Chanju and Dehra villages in Churah subdivision of Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh. As per initial reports, the swollen stream washed away large quantities of construction material and damaged several temporary structures at the project site.

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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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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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