HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM PRESENT IN GODAVARI, EXTENT STILL UNKNOWN: Institutional Apathy & Opacity Ahead of Kumbh Mela

October 26, 2026October 27, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

STATEMENT AND MEMORANDUM

To:

Chief Minister of Maharashtra cm@maharashtra.gov.in
Chief Secretary of Maharashtra cs@maharashtra.gov.in
Secretary of the Environment and Climate Change Department for the Government of Maharashtra psec.env@maharashtra.gov.in
Principal Secretary, Public Health Department for the Government of Maharashtra psec.pubhealth@maharashtra.gov.in
Member Secretary of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) mscb.cpcb@nic.in
Member Secretary of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) ms@mpcb.gov.in
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) ceo@midcindia.org
Municipal Commissioner, Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) commissioner@nmc.gov.in commissionernmc@gmail.com
District Collector, Nashik collectorofficenashik@gmail.com

SUBJECT: INSTITUTIONAL APATHY & OPACITY AHEAD OF KUMBH MELA ON HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM POLLUTION IN NASHIK

Four weeks have elapsed since the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) were formally notified of acute industrial chemical contamination in the groundwater of Ambad (Dattanagar / Maruti Sankul).

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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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Godavari · River Pollution

TOXIC EMERGENCY IN NASHIK AHEAD OF KUMBH MELA: GROUNDWATER TESTS 1,000 TIMES OVER SAFE CHROMIUM LIMITS

October 8, 2026October 11, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

PRESS NOTE — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Laboratory testing has confirmed acute toxic contamination ongoing in Ambad, Nashik, where residential borewell water has turned bright yellow, likely due to industrial hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] from the Ambad MIDC.

Local activists Roshan Kedar, Rajesh Pandit, their team and volunteers highlighted the issue and have been consistently following up with residents. Parineeta Dandekar, SANDRP visited the site and got the groundwater the sample tested in an accredited lab.

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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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Highest Flood Level · Rivers

Rivers Crossing Highest Flood Levels in August 2026

September 9, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Yamuna river near ISBT, Delhi on Aug. 23, 2026. BS Rawat/SANDRP)

In the third month of the 2026 southwest monsoon season, we have been able to document rivers breaching their respective Highest Flood Levels (HFLs) at least at 10 Central Water Commission (CWC) flood monitoring sites. These sites are spread across five river basins and four states mainly in central and east India.

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Sand Mining

Impact of Sand Mining, Transportation on River Infrastructures across India

July 4, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Sand boats stuck in Prakasam barrage during Sept. 2024 floods. Source: Hans India)

This overview tracks the incidents of damage and threats to bridges and other river infrastructure across India between March 2023 and June 2026. The compilation shows that at least six bridge collapse incidents were reported where riverbed sand mining, sand transportation or excessive riverbed disturbance either directly contributed to the collapse or emerged as a significant risk factor alongside floods, poor construction and overloading.

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Dams, Rivers & People · Free flowing rivers · River Water Disputes · Riverine Literature · Rivers and Culture

2026: Books, Films, Discussions on State of Indian Rivers

March 21, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Cover page of five books on Indian rivers mentioned in this overview)

This overview puts together brief information on top five books, films, discussions, reports, and cultural stories published during previous year to present a comprehensive view on the state of rivers in India. The compilation emphasizes how rivers are deeply intertwined with ecology, society, politics and culture while highlighting the growing crises they face due to pollution, dams, urbanization and climate change. Through research, storytelling and lived experiences, the collection questions current policies and development models, stressing on the need for sustainable management, stronger accountability and recognition of rivers as living systems essential to human and ecological well-being.

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Dam Safety

2025: Dam Safety Issues in India

December 12, 2025December 12, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: A worn out portion of Singur dam embankment. Source)

This annual overview presents top ten reports highlighting the dam safety issues in India. Worryingly, the central govt in Oct. 2025 itself has revealed that safety audit of about 5000 large dams is pending. Before this, the NHRC in Feb. 2025 sought a report on safety of the dams across the country. The plea rightly demanded a transparent, accountable and participatory dam safety mechanism to prevent disasters. Indeed, the aging infrastructure, inadequate maintenance, slow progress of rehabilitation and fast changing climate are among the key issues putting our dams under threats.

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Floods · Highest Flood Level · Monsoon · Rivers

Rivers in Extreme Floods During SW Monsoon 2025

October 4, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

This is the summary report of Highest Flood Levels (HFL) breach incidents which we could document from CWC’s flood monitoring website during South West Monsoon Season 2025. The monthly reports for HFL breach incident for July 2025, August 2025 and September 2025 can be seen by clicking the hyperlinks and the detailed final report can be seen here. SANDRP’s previous reports on the subject can be seen here: HFL breach incidents in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 (I), 2021 (II), 2022 (I), 2022 (II), 2023, and 2024.

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Highest Flood Level

Rivers Flowing in Extreme Floods in September 2025

October 1, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Yamuna river in severe flood at Mawi site in Kairana, UP on Sept. 02, 2025)

We have been able to observe river attaining new Highest Flood Level (HFL) at least at 18 flood monitoring sites of the Central Water Commission (CWC) in the last month of South West Monsoon 2025. These 18 sites are spread over 7 States & UT, including Jammu & Kashmir (6 sites), Maharashtra (4 sites), Uttar Pradesh (3 sites), Haryana (2 sites), Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka (1 each site) comprising 5 river basins including Indus (6), Ganga (6), Krishna (3), Tapi (2) and Godavari (1).

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