Marking World Fisheries Day (WFD) 2025, we present some of important studies and reports highlighting the growing threats over freshwater fish species in India and across the globe. The multi-taxon global freshwater fauna assessment for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species published this year is among most concerning report revealing looming extinction threats over 24% of freshwater fauna worldwide. This includes the hump-backed mahseer, subterranean snakehead and peninsular hill trout found in rivers and waterbodies of Western Ghats.
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DRP 101125: Does the world still need the annual jamboree of COP, given its record?
(Feature image is from the New York Times)
The annual Conference of Parties (COP) on climate change begins its annual meeting in Brazil today. Consider the track record of the annual meetings so far, it is a valid question to ask, as the Question of Cities asks, Does the World still need this meeting with such a huge carbon footprint of its own? Is it a futile exercise now?
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DRP 201025: Indian Cities Drowning in Crisis of Governance
(Feature Image: A flooded housing society in Bangaluru after heavy rainfalls in Sept. 2022)
The excellent opinion piece below by Soumya Sarkar clearly explains how absence of hydrological governance has been root cause for increasing incidents of urban flooding across the country. Indeed, the urban development in India is construction centric where resilience has become a postscript rather an inbuilt feature.
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DRP 131025: Pump Storage Hydro Projects facing increasing opposition
(Feature Image: People raising objections against Sharavathi PSP at a Public Hearing in Shivamogga on Sept. 16)
It is interesting that this week there are reports about growing opposition to Pump Storage Hydro Projects across the country including in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh (proposed project near Bargi reservoir in Narmada Valley) besides similar opposition seen earlier in Maharashtra. This should wake up the authorities and realise that the assumption of such projects being socially and environmentally benign is totally wrong.
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DRP 061025: Dangers of expediting Hydro Projects in the Himalayas
(Feature Image: Drone image of the Teesta III dam in Sikkim, taken from Chungthang town looking downstream. Image by Praful Rao of Save the Hills.)
According to a report in the National Daily, the Centre has decided to hire outside experts on fixed contracts to evaluate designs of planned hydropower projects, a move aimed at speeding up construction of several dams in the pipeline, an official said on Oct 1. The Union Govt plans to expedite construction of a slew of hydroelectric projects, especially in Jammu & Kashmir and the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.
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DRP 220925: India urgently needs National Silt Policy, Prudent silt management
(Feature Image: As the floodwaters recede, silt deposition has been observed in many parts of Mand area in Sultanpur Lodhi, Kapurthala.)
There are a number of stories this week and throughout the ongoing SW monsoon, where the key central figure is the same: Silt. This is true in case of reports about silting of dams, silting of rivers, illegal dumping of silt in rivers and dams, accumulated silt choking Punjab and Delhi rivers, and even a suggestion that what Indus Basin needs is silt management policy.
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DRP 150925: Flawed, dishonest Kalai-II HEP EIA
It’s heartening to see the Editorial in Arunachal Times (see below) about the flawed, dishonest, cut and paste Environment Impact Assessment report of the Kalai-II Hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh. NEHR has written about this to the Anjaw district Deputy Commissioner and one hopes the DC has the courage to take appropriate action: Halt the public hearing and ask the project proponent to get a proper EIA done by a competent and honest consultant. WAPCOS Ltd, which has done the current flawed EIA has been known to do such flawed EIAs on numerous occasions in the past as we have written about it and also informed the MoEF, Expert Appraisal Committee on River Valley Committee, without any impact so far unfortunately.
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DRP 080925: Will the higher judiciary Listen?
(Feature Image: Seraj valley in Mandi district of Himachal battered by extreme weather events in July 2025)
Well known environmentalist Manshi Asher through the following article is giving a very important message that everyone, particularly Judiciary needs to listen and act upon. While higher judiciary is rightly highly respected, its track record on acting on environmental issues is far from satisfactory and leaves a lot to be desired.
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DRP 010925: Punjab floods need independent inquiry
(Feature Image: Punjab WRD minister Barinder Kumar Goyal asserted that the timely release of water by the BBMB in June could have significantly reduced the damage caused by the floods.)
It is clear from the following details that the massive floods that Punjab experienced and parts continue to experience even now has a lot to do with the way Bhakra, Pong and Ranjit Sagar dams were operated. There was sufficient actionable information that was available to take advance water release action. Had these actions been taken, the proportions of the disaster could have been reduced. The risk of further floods remains considering the IMD forecast of heavy rains in catchments of these dams during the remaining weeks of SW Monsoon 2025.
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DRP 250825: Threat of Dam Floods continue to be ignored
(Feature Image: The release of water from Pong Dam has brought devastation to Mand Bhograwan village in Kangra district, where the sudden rise in the Beas river has submerged several acres of fertile land and put houses at risk. Aug 17.)
Sudden release of large quantity of water from the dams has the potential of creating avoidable floods in the downstream areas as we could see last week in case of Ukai Dam water releases affecting Surat in South Gujarat, Ujani and Jayakwadi dam water releases in Maharashtra, Bhakra and Pong dam releases in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, among others. In all these cases, we can show that earlier water release was warranted based on available information, considering the carrying capacity of the downstream river, but such action was delayed till either the dam was full before water started (e.g. Ujani and Jayakwadi) or too large water releases created avoidable flood impacts in case of Ukai Dam on Tapi River in South Gujarat and also in case of Bhakra and Pong dams. There were also extensive damages in Mirzapur and Chandauli districts of Uttar Pradesh due to sudden release of water from a number of dams including Chandra Prabha Dam, Ahraura dam and Jargo Dam among others.
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SANDRP 