Tag: Narmada

18 high flood levels breached in Western India in Sept. 2023
Narmada

18 high flood levels breached in Western India in Sept. 2023

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(Feature Image: The water level of the Narmada river near Golden Bridge rises to 35 feet due to heavy rains, in Bharuch on Sept. 17, 2023. ANI/TNIE)

Several of Narmada basin districts in Madhya Pradesh have witnessed heavy to very heavy rainfall spells between September 14 to 16, 2023 resulting in severe flood situation along the river in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat and resultantly leading to breaching of Highest Flood Level (HFL) at 13 sites in Narmada Basin alone. Similarly, there have been at least 5 more HFL breaches during the same period in western India.

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DRP 180923: Floodplain loss, the biggest in Asia, disaster in the making
DRP News Bulletin

DRP 180923: Floodplain loss, the biggest in Asia, disaster in the making

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(Feature Image: Ongoing ghat work along Yamuna at Qudsia ghat, ISBT Dellhi. SANDRP, June 2023)

A floodplain, according to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, is “any land area susceptible to being inundated by floodwaters from any source”. According to the report “Human alterations of the global floodplains 1992–2019”, over 460,000 sqkms of floodplain area was lost to agriculture, while another 140,000 sqkms was redeveloped to new areas over the existing floodplain. Continent-wise, Asia lost the biggest area of floodplains — a little over 200,000 sqkms — among all the continents. It was followed by South America (92,000 sqkms) and Africa (73,000 sqkms).

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Unaccountable Sardar Sarovar operators again bring avoidable floods in downstream Gujarat
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Unaccountable Sardar Sarovar operators again bring avoidable floods in downstream Gujarat

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Late, lethargic and unaccountable actions of Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) Dam operators have once again contributed to huge and largely avoidable downstream floods in Gujarat. The water level at Golden Bridge in Bharuch is approaching HFL (Highest Flood Level) today on Sept 17, 2023, but these floods could have been significantly lower and much less disastrous both for SSP upstream and downstream areas if SSP authorities had taken action earlier based on actionable information available and based on sound reservoir operation principles of following a rule curve.

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Rivers Crossing Highest Flood Levels in India in August 2023
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Rivers Crossing Highest Flood Levels in India in August 2023

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(Feature Image: An aerial view of flood-affected areas, in Rishikesh. Image Credit PTI/ Sourrce:-Out Look, 15 Aug. 2023.)

Though August 2023 has turned out to be hottest and driest month in a century; the first half the month has seen extreme flood events happening in North, North East and Central zones of the country causing breach in the highest flood level (HFL) at least at 17 flood monitoring sites being managed by Central Water Commission (CWC). These sites are in Ganga, Narmada and Brahmaputra basins.

There are some sites where HFL has been breached in June and July 2023 also and peak flood level of these sites is given below the peak levels attained in August 2023. The details of 2 sites breaching HFLs in June 2023 & 38 sites in  July 2023 can be seen by clicking on respective hyperlinks. A separate report analyzing the severe flood situation in Alaknanda and Ganga basin on August 14, 2023 can be seen here.  

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DRP 04092023: Will National Ganga Mission too fail to clean up Ganga?
DRP News Bulletin

DRP 04092023: Will National Ganga Mission too fail to clean up Ganga?

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(Feature Image: Untreated industrial effluents being dumped in Drain No. 6, Sonipat in May 2023.)

More than 7 years have passed since the central government launched Rs. 20, 000 crores Namami Gange Programme in May 2015 replacing Ganga Action Plan (GAP) and created National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) a nodal agency to implement the programme.

The NMCG has already missed the target of cleaning the Ganga by 2019 and then by 2020 due to improper planning and Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) as accepted by G. Asok Kumar, Director General (DG), NMCG in an interview to The Week in January 2023 further extending the target to 2026.

Though Namami Gange aimed to adopt a basin wise approach with focus on e-flows, afforestation, revival of tributaries, biodiversity conservation in participatory manner; so far it has extensively worked on creation of sewage treatment infrastructures in the states along the main stem of the river.

Despite that the ground situation is far from improving as shown in the The Hindu report below which reveals that about 80 percent of the overall budget is being spent on sewage infrastructure creation and by 2026, the treatment plants capacity would be able to treat at the most 60 percent of sewage generated only along the main stem of the Ganga river.

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DRP 260623: National Framework for Sediment Management
DRP News Bulletin

DRP 260623: National Framework for Sediment Management

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A National Framework for Sediment Management is certainly a long standing requirement and any move in that direction would have been welcome. Not only because the sediment accumulation destroys storage capacity of India’s Dams, created at such massive costs. But also because sediment is an integral part of river flow and also very important for the rivers to stop or reduce erosion at deltas. There are other issues related to sediment including creation and disposal of toxic sediment and impact of sediment free water flowing downstream from the hydropower projects.

But we need much more serious and sincere efforts in this direction than what has been suggested in following government press release. The movement on such an important subject is so snail paced, half hearted, non-comprehensive, unscientific and non-sincere that it is not clear how this is going to help.

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DRP 190623: Ten years of Uttarakhand Flood disaster
DRP News Bulletin

DRP 190623: Ten years of Uttarakhand Flood disaster

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(Feature Image: Thousands of people have been rescued but the inability of rescue teams to navigate disaster-struck areas has left over 60,000 people stranded in Uttarakhand. The Hindu, 19 June 2013)

This week marks ten years since the Uttarakhand flood disaster of June 2013, the worst recorded disaster in the state. The deaths and destruction in the disaster were unprecedented. Large parts of the deaths and destruction were due to man-made causes. Climate Change played its anthropogenic role too as the unprecedented rainfall happened even before the monsoon was set in. Even the Supreme Court took suo motu cognizance of the disaster and ordered halt to all hydropower projects and independent review of them. One of the major human causes that worsened the disaster was the lack of credible disaster prevention and management systems.

One expected that we and particularly our all powerful governments in the state and the Centre would learn lessons from such an unprecedented, such a massive destructive disaster. The first step to that would have been credible reporting of what exactly happened during the disaster, which agencies played what role and how the destruction could have been reduced. That such a report does not exist even today says a lot.

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DRP 120623: Tip of Karnataka irrigation scam?
DRP News Bulletin

DRP 120623: Tip of Karnataka irrigation scam?

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(Feature Image: A decade old Amul caricature on Rs. 70, 000 crore irrigation scam in Maharashtra.)

It’s not very frequent that irrigation scams come to light. Somewhat inadvertently, the Karnataka irrigation scam seems to be getting exposed when the newly elected state government stopped two irrigation projects in the constituency of the irrigation minister of the previous state government, the Gatti Basavanna Dam and the Ammajeshwari Lift Irrigation Project. In both cases, the department officials are saying that they prepared the project reports based on instructions from above. In both cases, the costs proposed at one stage were 3 to 9 times higher than the revised estimated cost.

One only hopes that the government, media and the judiciary will go to the bottom of these revelations and bring to light the full dimensions of what seems like a tip of the Karnataka Irrigation Scam. It is public knowledge that Karnataka has been spending tens of thousands of crores each of the last few years in the name of big irrigation or dam projects, without commensurate benefits.

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DRP 050623: Manoj Misra, a True River Warrior Is No More, Salutes to Manoj ji!
DRP News Bulletin

DRP 050623: Manoj Misra, a True River Warrior Is No More, Salutes to Manoj ji!

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(Feature Image: Late Manoj Misra speaking at India Rivers Week seminar in Delhi in Nov. 2018. Source: IRF)

As we mark the World Environment Day 2023; India has lost one of the staunch river crusader Manoj Misra, the convener of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan (YJA). He has been driving force behind formation and functioning of India Rivers Forum (IRF) a platform dedicated for the rejuvenation and restoration of rivers in India. IRF work started in 2014 and 2023 is the tenth year of annual India Rivers Week meetings focused on rivers. Bhagirath Prayas Samman and Anupam Mishra Medal for exemplary media work on rivers are part of India Rivers Week.

He was hospitalized for over a month due to COVID & related complications and breathed his last on June 4, 2023 afternoon in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. His sudden demise is a great loss for all river lovers, experts, activists in the country. Down to Earth, resourceful, open-minded, academician, people’s rivers scientist are few words but not enough to describe the personality of Manoj Misra.

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DRP 290523: Goa Fights to save Mahadayi River
DRP News Bulletin

DRP 290523: Goa Fights to save Mahadayi River

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(Feature Image: Thousands form human chain along Mhadei river to celebrate #MahadaiAmchiMai festival. Source: ToI)

On May 20, 2023 when thousands of people of Goa, Rakhondars (protectors) came out to form a 7 km long human chain to save Mhadei or Mahadayi river, they were not only celebrating Goa’s unique Mahadayi River festival, but were also coming together to declare their resolve save and rejuvenate the River that is lifeline of Goa.

A large number of organizations came together, including Earthivist Collective, Goa Heritage Action Group, Save Mhadei Save Goa front, among many others. It was a unique attempt to reconnect with the river, its history, its soul. The people from all kinds of art forms and all walks of life came together in a state where the connection with the river has always been strong for the people.

One hopes their tribe multiplies and they succeed in saving the river from dam building plans and other river affecting activities. That success will provide an example and impetus for river conservation activities elsewhere too.

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