DRP 041124: Study says Big Dams are costly gambles or frauds?

November 4, 2024February 27, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Lower Subansiri HEP dam. Source: PIB, June 2023)

An interesting study reported this week reveals Big Dams are costly gambles and explains why this is so. In fact, the explanations go on to reveal that this is by design, the costs are systematically under estimated and benefits are exaggerated, so the dams fail to provide the promised benefits. So Big Dams are actually not gambles, but frauds. They get away with all this due to lack of transparency and accountability in the governance, the study reveals.

For those following the global debate on big dams over the decades know that there is nothing new here. A number of studies earlier exposed all this, including the Independent Review of the Sardar Sarovar Project instituted by the World Bank, the World Commission on Dams report, the India Country study done for WCD, among others.

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Yamuna River

यमुना में पर्यावरणीय प्रवाह बढ़ाने के हों ठोस प्रयास

October 31, 2024November 6, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Bone dry Yamuna riverbed at Mawi, Kairnana. (Image Bhim Singh Rawat, June 2010)

सर्दी शुरू होते ही दिल्ली में यमुना नदी में झाग की समस्या चरम पर पहुँच जाती है। इसी के साथ कई दिनों तक ओखला बैराज के नीचे नदी सतह पर तैरते ‘आइस बर्ग’ की भांति दिखने वाले झाग के बड़े-बड़े खंड लोगों के आकर्षण और मीडिया की सुर्ख़ियों का केंद्र बन जाते हैं। बढ़ते नदी प्रदुषण पर नागरिकों की बढ़ती चिंताओं और नदी प्रेमियों के बढ़ते सवालों के बीच राजनितिक दोषारोपण का दौर शुरू होता है। समस्या का फौरी निराकरण करते दिखने के प्रयास में संबंधित सरकारी विभाग आनन-फानन में कुछ आधे-अधूरे कदम उठाते हैं। त्यौहार और खास तौर पर छठ पर्व समाप्त होते ही, लोगों की नदी पर जाने वाले भीड़ कम हो जाती है और दो-तीन सप्ताह बाद सब यमुना नदी में बढ़ते प्रदुषण और झाग की समस्या को भूल जाते हैं। लगभग एक साल बाद फिर से यह क्रम दोहराया जाता है जब सर्दी के समय झाग के आगोश में लिपटी प्रदूषित यमुना, नागरिकों की उदासीनता और नदी सफाई योजनाओं की नाकामी को उजागर करती है।

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP 28×24: Hydropower Impacts on Biodiversity

October 28, 2024February 27, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: The Ranganadi dam in Arunachal Pradesh. In February 2019 the dam released an unprecedented amount of silt, with severe impacts for the river’s biodiversity and the livelihoods of people who live along its banks. Image Credit: Karen Conniff / Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0/Source: Dialogue Earth)

A new study of available scientific publications on impact of Hydropower projects on biodiversity provides a thorough review of the subject. The review does not directly give a call not to construct more such destructive projects. But it is useful for anyone concerned about the impact of dam projects on rivers.

The study discusses the impacts of hydropower projects on both aquatic and semi-aquatic species in riverine ecosystem and cumulative impacts spatially and temporally across river basins. Dams disrupt longitudinal connectivity and act as physical barriers in upstream-downstream movement of species. Upstream of dam, there is static water environment rather than flowing river environment. In the downstream, the hydropower projects adversely affect the water flow, sediment flow, thermal regimes, affecting water quality and environmental cues for the fish movement. All these also affect the floodplains both upstream and downstream.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP 21×24: New Warnings from Studies about Global Water Changes

October 21, 2024February 27, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image (Screenshot): Atmospheric rivers occur all over the world, as this animation of global satellite data from February 2017 shows. Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio)

A number of reports listed below this week throw fresh light on functioning of global water cycle, some of the findings should be seriously worrying. The studies show how the countries across the globe have water connections that go far beyond shared rivers, lakes and seas. And how these components of global water cycles are not only changing, but are under unprecedented stress and could take the global water cycles off balance.

Another study about atmospheric rivers that provides some of the largest high intensity rainfalls show that these rivers are shifting, which can have far reaching consequences for large sub-tropical areas, polar areas and others. For understanding their implications, more studies particularly focusing on shifting El Nino and La Nina streams are required.

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Highest Flood Level

SW Monsoon 2024: Rivers Crossing Highest Flood Levels

October 16, 2024October 2, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

During southwest monsoon season 2024, SANDRP has tracked at least 64 flood forecast and flood monitoring sites where the respective rivers have crossed the highest flood levels (HFL). Here we present detailed analysis of these sites along with some key observations and other relevant information. SANDRP’s previous reports on the subject can be seen here: HFL breach incidents in 2018, 2019, 2020, May-Sept 2021, Oct.-Nov 2021, May-June 2022, July-October 2022, June-October 2023.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP 14×24: Big Dams, Long distance water will not solve Urban Water Crisis

October 14, 2024February 27, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

In a pointed article this week, Sachin Tiwale rightly writes that Mumbai does not need more dams, but needs to fix the distribution of more than enough water that it gets currently. Same is the case with highly capital and energy intensive 5^th stage of Cauvery Water Supply being inaugurated on Oct 16 by the Karnataka Chief Minister and Deputy CM for Bangalore, advertised through full page advertisements today (Oct 14) in newspapers in Bangalore.

What the India’s cities need is to exhaust the potential of local water resources, including rain water, local water bodies including rivers, groundwater recharge, recycle and reuse of treated sewage and also demand side measures, including fixing the distribution and reducing transmission and distribution losses. All of this needs attention through a National Urban Water Policy that will also fix the Urban Water Governance.

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Yamuna River

Yamuna Manthan 031024: Threatened River Wetlands

October 3, 2024October 3, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, along with the river Yamuna, is considered to be green lung of the Agra city. Source: ToI report Six-member committee to probe development of Agra Trade Centre in Soor Sarovar eco-zone. Nov. 01, 2018)

The waterbodies, lakes, wetlands in Yamuna basin continue to face damages and threats from many quarters, including concerned govt departments. In latest examples of this, there are reports of Uttar Pradesh govt’s plan to reduce the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of Keetham lake to zero. The wetlands also known as Sur Sarovar is a large ox bow lake formed by Yamuna River in Agra. It is a protected bird sanctuary and has been designated a Ramsar site in August 2020. In Sept. 2022, the Supreme Court had directed the govt to increase lake’s ESZ to 799 ha from 403 ha.

Similarly, the Uttar Pradesh govt departments have also been delaying process to notify Dhanauri wetlands as a Ramsar site in Greater Noida. The case is going on in NGT (National Green Tribunal) for the past many years. In the recent hearing held on Sept. 26, the NGT asked govt department to explain reasons behind delay in notifying the wetlands apart from directing it to remove water hyacinth chocking the wetlands. The next hearing will be held on Jan. 27, 2025.

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Yamuna River

Yamuna SW Monsoon 2024: Upper Segment Misses Flood

October 2, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Yamuna river at Mawi site in Kairana, UP in Sept. 2024)

After remarkable deluge in 2023, the upper segment of Yamuna river has seen no significant flood spell all through the just concluded southwest monsoon 2024. This is unusual as the river generally witnesses at least a couple of low or medium flood spells in this segment every year.

However, this year the discharges from Hathnikund Barrage (HKB) in Haryana did not cross 1 lakh cusec figure even a single time. The peak discharge from the barrage was 87,017 cusecs at 06:00 hour on 26.09.2024.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP 300924: Focus on River Studies

September 30, 2024February 27, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

Rivers are the most important ecosystems (eco here includes ecology and economy) and yet possibly least studied entities. Some news below this week about some river studies brings the focus on need to take up many more river related studies.

Most important aspect of river related studies is the need for credible, independent studies, not influenced by the needs of the governments. Otherwise, the government is likely to not only influence the study, but also decide not to make it public as they did in case of the studies related to Joshimath town and role of Chamoli disaster.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP 160924: Urban Flood lessons from Vadodara, Vijaywada

September 16, 2024February 27, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Vadodara: A flooded area after heavy monsoon rainfall, in Vadodara, Aug. 27). Photo Credit: PTI/The Hindu)

Like every monsoon, a number of cities have faced catastrophic floods in SW monsoon this year. Vadodara and Vijaywada have got the media attention more than any other city for urban floods this year. In both cases a number of factors are common: role of upstream dams, encroachment on water bodies including rivers, lakes, streams, role of illegal sand mining particularly in Vijaywada, not having learnt any lessons from past flood disasters.

It is interesting to see Andhra Pradesh CM hinting at bringing HYDRAA like enforcement institution to remove encroachments on Budameru and other water bodies. Considering the nature of his politics and track record, it is doubtful if this NDA CM will take such a bold step, but it is certainly worthy of consideration for almost all urban areas in India.

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