Yamuna Manthan 0524: SC Stays 4 NBWL cleared Dams in Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary

May 2, 2024May 2, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Google Earth Image showing location of 6 proposed dams in Kalesar national park area by Haryana government)

In a welcome judicial intervention, the Supreme Court on April 24, 2024 has stayed building of four dams inside Kalesar National Park in Yamuna Nagar district of Haryana. Issuing notices to Centre and Haryana governments, the apex court noted that the dams namely Chikan, Kansli, Khillanwala and Ambawali would not achieve the intended purposes and would prove detrimental to wildlife, biota and eco-system of the National Park.

Disappointingly the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) had approved the dams ignoring the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) report warning about adverse impacts of these dams on the terrestrial as well as aquatic biodiversity in the protected area. As per the WII report, the Irrigation Department, Haryana had planned building of six dams costing about Rs. 125 cr. on streams feeding Pathrala river in the national park.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP NB 080424: Demand to include River protection measures in election manifestoes

April 8, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Ganga river at Garhmukteshwar in March 2024. Bhim Singh Rawat/SANDRP)

The demand of NAPM to political parties going to the National elections in next couple of months to include protection of rivers and communities dependent on rivers in their manifestoes is most appropriate and urgently required.

Some key components of the demand include strengthening of decentralized river governance, role in decision making related to rivers for the fisherfolks, boats people and other river dependent communities. A draft of the People’s River Protection Bill has also been sent to the political parties. The NAPM also opposed indiscriminate construction of dams, hydro projects, embankments, barrages, river front developments, illegal sand mining, dumping of solid and liquid waste in the rivers and also interlinking of projects, all being done in the name of development, with least concern for the rivers. The draft bill also demands removal of unjust encroachments into riverbeds and floodplains. NAPM also demands continued flow in the perennial rivers by way of adequate environment flows throughout the length of the rivers from origin to its confluence with other rivers or sea.

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Yamuna River

Yamuna Manthan 030424: DDA Continues to Destroy River Floodplains

April 3, 2024May 1, 2024 SANDRP1 Comment

(Feature Image: Huge part of Yamuna floodplain raised by massive soil dumping near Bela Estate just upstream Shashtri Park Metro Depot in North East Delhi. Photo Credit: Vivek Nigam, Photo Journalist Amar Ujala, Source: Principal Correspondent in Amar Ujala, Delhi)

In latest example proving Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) utter failure in protecting Yamuna River floodplains from abuse and encroachment, a large part of floodplain land has been levelled by soil dumping thus raising it by several meters at Bela Estate farm near Shashtri Park Metro Depot. As per the reports, the DDA has allotted about 19.5 ha of floodplain to forest dept for compensatory plantation. The plantation work at the site like at most of the sites on Yamuna floodplain in Delhi has suffered damages during July 2023 floods. And the levelling at the Bela Estate site is being done in the name of protecting the compensatory plantation.

The site is among few remaining floodplain patches available for spread of flood waters. The floodplain area on western bank at the location is less and already developed. Due to natural gradient, the part of floodplain on eastern side undergoes periodic floods. The patch was under several feet floodwater in July 2023. The floodplain immediately downstream the site has already been encroached by the bridge road, metro depot and buildings. Hence, raising of floodplain here would not only reduce spread of flood waters but also hamper the groundwater recharge.

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Dam Decommissioning · Dam Safety

दुनिया भर में बांधों को हटाने में वृद्धि

December 16, 2023December 16, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

हिमांशु ठक्कर

सभी बड़े बांधों की उम्र सीमित होती है। क्या आपने कभी सोचा है कि एक बार बांध का उपयोगी जीवन समाप्त होने पर उसका क्या होता है? इसे हटाना होता है जिसे डीकमीशनिंग कहते हैं। डीकमीशनिंग का मतलब [i] बांध और उससे जुड़ी संरचनाओं को पूरी तरह हटाने से है। दुनिया के तीसरे सबसे बड़े बांध निर्माता के रूप में भारत के लिए यह एक बहुत ही प्रासंगिक सवाल है। यह मुद्दा इसलिए और भी अधिक महत्वपूर्ण हो गया है क्योंकि अब बड़े बांध न तो आवश्यक है और न ही व्यावहारिक। इसके अलावा अब बहती नदियों के महत्व को तेज़ी से सराहा जा रहा है। यह ध्यान में रखना ज़रूरी है कि किसी बांध को बिना उचित रखरखाव के नदी पर बने रहने की अनुमति नहीं दी जा सकती है। इससे बांध के नीचे की ओर रहने वाले समुदाय और अर्थव्यवस्था के लिए खतरा बना रहता है।

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Yamuna River

The 2023 Yamuna floods of Delhi only a trailer of bigger floods to come in future?

August 12, 2023 SANDRP2 Comments

(Feature Image:- Boats tied to Yamuna river bank at Wazirabad Barrage in June 2023. SANDRP)

In this detailed interview by Questions of Cities; Bhim Singh Rawat, associate coordinator, SANDRP talks on multiple issues affecting the Yamuna and offers some corrective measures to improve the overall condition of the river. The interview has already been published by Question of Cities and can be seen here. The interview also covers possible reasons behind unusual floods in Yamuna in Delhi in July 2023 and the detailed SANDRP blog on the issue can be seen here.

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Yamuna River

Vyasi Hydro: Village Drowned; River Dried but little power generation

June 26, 2023June 26, 2023 SANDRP2 Comments

(Featured Image: Submerged Lohari village houses in Vyasi HEP ‘RoR’ dam reservoir. SANDRP, June 2023)

The 120 Mw Vyasi HEP built by Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (UJVN Ltd.) in Vikas Nagar tehsil of Dehradun is on its way to become the textbook example of how thoughtlessly pushed hydro power projects are proving a nightmare for local people, a costly affair for the state and the nation and a disaster for free-flowing living river.

The project offers some bitter lessons for the policy-makers, experts and society who have been assuming that hydro power is a cheap, green source of energy and the Run of River (RoR) projects don’t dam and cause much harm to the environment, people or rivers.

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Gangetic Dolphins

India Lost 10 More Gangetic River Dolphins In One Year in 2022-23

May 6, 2023December 27, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Post mortem being done of a dolphin carcass found at gate number 01 of Girija barrage in Bahraich, UP. Image Source: Dainik Bhaskar, Nov. 2022)

May 18, 2023, would mark 13 year of declaration of Gangetic dolphin as a national aquatic animal. However, the habitats of this ‘highly endangered’ species continue to suffer anthropogenic threats including wrong operations of dams & barrages, inland waterways projects, decreasing flows & increasing pollution in rivers, sand mining and poaching etc. in India. As a result, there are frequent incidents of mysterious and unnatural deaths of these fresh water mammals.

SANDRP has been tracking such incidents since January 2020 and our previous two reports published in January 2021 & April 2022 on the subject have complied deaths of at least 21 Gangetic dolphins in 2 years (2020 and 2021). In continuation of the same, this account covers the incidents of deaths of Gangetic river dolphins during past one year.

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Betwa River

Uttar Pradesh: Satellite Images Reveal Betwa River Ravaged by Mining

February 21, 2023April 19, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Screen shot of undated google earth image showing multiple vertical, horizontal bunds created by deep, mechanized riverbed mining across Betwa near Bheri Dariya in Sarila tehsil of Hamirpur district.)

The comparison of Sentinel satellite images dated February 20, 2023 with images of September-October 2022 reveal large scale riverbed mining operations along Betwa river at multiple sites in Jhansi, Jaluan and Hamirpur districts. The details of some of the sites is given in table below followed by the satellite imageries and time lapse animation of few sites.

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Fish, Fisheries, Fisherfolk

WFD 2021: Of looming & existing threats on fish & fisherfolks

November 30, 2021 SANDRP1 Comment

The fish species, fisheries sector and fisherfolk communities in India and South Asia have been undergoing a whole range of anthropogenic threats, sustainability challenges amid turbulent climatic factors casting a complex and uncertain impacts on the overall wellbeing of their future and survival. As part of World Fisheries Day (WFD) 2021, SANDRP has been tracking the critical issues. In first two parts of three part series we have already put together incidents of mass fish death and positive developments taking place in past one year.

This third and final part of the 2021 series focuses on remarkable ongoing resistance by fisher-folks showing constant struggle and firm determination. The report also covers relevant studies underlining adverse impacts of dams, hydro projects and climate change on freshwater fish and dependent fisherfolks. It has briefs on how impacts of pollution and encroachment of water bodies, mining, coastal zone development, invasive fish, aquaculture is gradually going up along with concerns and efforts to address them. Some of the pro and anti-fish, fisherfolks decisions by central and state govts are also compiled here.

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Yamuna River

Yamuna Jayanti 2021: River needs flows; not dam, mining & pollution

April 19, 2021April 19, 2021 SANDRP2 Comments

Yamuna Jayanti the birthday of Yamuna river is celebrated every year on sixth day of summer Navratri. This year the day occurred on Sunday, April 18. On this occasion, Yamuna Nadi Mitra Mandlis [NMM (Friends of Yamuna River groups)] from all along the river through pics, videos share the latest updates on the issues affecting the river health and riverine community’s wellbeing. They also celebrate the river for its innumerable/ services and carry out activities to draw the attention of concerned governments and public at large towards gradual decline in river’s health.

This year due to Covid 19 pandemic and resultant restrictions, they could not organize public gatherings and undertake river related activities as usual, however they have shared some relevant pictures and videos depicting present status of River Yamuna which are presented here.

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