South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People
(Feature Image: An aerial view of Wazirabad Barrage shows a drying up Yamuna in May 2022. Image Credit: PTI/TNIE)
In the wake of Lok Sabha election 2024 in Delhi on May 25, the civil societies and concerned citizens on behalf of River Yamuna appeal to the political parties to address the critical issue of absence of environmental flows adversely impacting the river health in the national capital.
Continue reading “‘Let Yamuna Flow’: A River’s Appeal to Political Parties”(Feature Image: Flashflood ravaged Multhan market area after leakages in 25 Mw Lambadug HEP tunnel on May 10, 2024. Image Source: Screen shot of Amar Ujala video report)
The massive leakages in penstock of Lambadug Hydro Electric Project (HEP) on May 10 2024 morning have caused extensive damages in Multhan market area of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh. The sudden leakages turning into a flash flood spell occurred around 08:00 am on May 10, 2024. As per reports the deluge containing mud and debris spread over 400 meter of market and invaded about 50 homes, 80 shops apart from damaging cash crops over 6 acres farming land.
The incident created panic situation for 150 families living in the area. Several residents had to run to save their lives. The project and administration officials remained unavailable to control the situation for hours. With no help in site, the local people had to divert the gushing currents towards Lambadug river to prevent further damages to their homes and properties.
Continue reading “May 2024: Lambadug HEP Leak Disaster in Kangra-Himachal”(Feature Image: a picture of Tawi Riverfront and Real Estate Development uploaded on Jammu Smart City website)
Tawi Riverfront Development (RFD) project in Jammu symbolizes the fallacy of most of the RFD projects in India. The city owes its historical relevance, cultural legacy and gradual prosperity to the river. But in return the Tawi has been witnessing typical urban river problems of gradual decline in flows, continual rise in solid and liquid waste pollution, encroachments and riverbed mining. And as is the case with most of urban rivers, instead of taking effective measures to address the existing threats, the government here has been pumping crores of rupees into an artificial lake and RFD project for over past one and half decade in a non-transparent and questionable manner.
Continue reading “Tawi Barrage & Riverfront Projects in Jammu destroying river, inviting disaster”(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.
Continue reading “Yamuna Manthan 0524: SC Stays 4 NBWL cleared Dams in Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary”(Feature Image: Experts object elevation work on Yamuna floodplain in North East Delhi. Source: ToI, March 29, 2024)
This is an open letter to concerned government officials regarding restoration of Yamuna floodplain illegally raised and levelled by Forest Department, Delhi and DDA at Bela Farm near Shashtri Park, Delhi.
Continue reading “Restore Yamuna Floodplain Raised by Illegal Soil Dumping near Shashtri Park, Delhi”(Feature Image: Screenshot of Bundeli Junction video report dated Nov. 19, 2023 on large scale mechanized, instream sand mining in Ken river in Banda district. )
Ken is lifeline of Bundelkhand and among key tributaries of Lower Yamuna basin. The river is relatively clean and free of industrial pollution. However, its existence is under threat due to catchment degradation and the proposed Ken-Betwa interlinking proposal. Apart from this, the river eco-system and dependent people have been at receiving end of large scale mechanized and unsustainable, mostly illegal mining practices for the past many years.
Some recent short video clips, media reports and satellite images have again revealed that sand miners continue to indulge in river destructive mining activities in government approved mine sites in three districts of two states namely Panna and Chhatarpur districts of Madhya Pradesh and in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh. The miners here have blatantly violated the existing mining rules, MoEF guidelines and NGT orders while the respective regulatory agencies have miserably failed to enforce the laws and ensure compliance.
Continue reading “Why Existing Rules, Regulations Fail to Deter Illegal Sand Miners of Ken River?”(Feature Image: Solid waste strewn along east bank of polluted river Yamuna near Geeta Colony bridge, Delhi on March 09, 2024. Bhim Singh Rawat/SANDRP)
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources has submitted its 27th report titled “Review of Upper Yamuna River Cleaning Projects upto Delhi and Riverbed Management in Delhi” to the Parliament on 6 Feb 2024. The 113 paged report has two parts first on Narration and second on Observation and 25 Recommendations. The first part of the report has XI chapters dealing with various issues of River Yamuna.
SANDRP here presents a detailed chapter wise overview of the key observations made by the Committee based on the replies mainly from Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR) along with the Committee’s recommendations and some comments by SANDRP.
Continue reading “Yamuna Parliamentary Committee Report Missing on River Governance”(Feature Image: People stand in a queue with water cans to get drinking water at Jnana Jyothi Nagar, in Bengaluru. Image Source: PTI/Live Mint, 10 March 2024)
One central lesson of the ongoing Bangalore water crisis is essentially that ignore groundwater sustainability at your own peril. The surface water availability in Bangalore has not decreased, it is the groundwater depletion that is leading to crisis. There is of course the expansion of the city both horizontally and vertically that is increasing demands, but simple arithmetic tells us that if groundwater levels are sustained, it can take care of these increased demands.
The Groundwater sustainability includes sustaining the groundwater recharge and ensuring that extraction does not go past the recharge. Sustaining the groundwater recharge means first understanding the groundwater recharge mechanisms, zones and protecting them. BDA has been sitting for four years on desilting of two lakes: Bellandur and Varthur, which has caused huge impact on groundwater depletion. It also means increasing the groundwater recharge through rainwater harvesting (Bangalore’s failure here is apparent from the fact that government is collecting crores of rupees as fines from those not following the mandatory rainwater harvesting requirements), groundwater recharge wells and diverting tertiary treated sewage, available in Bangalore of upto 300 Million Liters per Day, to lakes and other such recharge zones.
Continue reading “DRP 110324: Bangalore reminds us: Ignore groundwater at your own peril”(Feature Image: PKC link index map. Source: Feasibility Report of Parbati Kalisindh Chambal Link Project. NWDA)
Yamuna the largest tributary of National River Ganga has already been succumbing on account of dams, hydro projects, unsustainable riverbed mining and ever-increasing pollution load in Himalayan, upper and middle segments. Despite this, the river has managed to be in better shape and size in its lower segment mainly due to its tributaries network including Chambal, Sind, Kali Sindh, Betwa, Ken etc. However, now there are river interlinking plans threatening the remaining relatively flowing and living stretch of the river in this very lower segment.
The push for country’s so called first river interlinking plan namely Ken-Betwa River interlinking is going on ignoring the norms, clearances and better viable alternatives. Now, the state governments of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have signed agreement to prepare DPR for Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal (PKC) river interlinking under modified Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP).
The central government has termed the project of national importance and would share the 90 precent of it cost. The entire project is estimated to cost Rs. 72,000 crore and claimed to be built in 5 years. The project proposes interlinking of 6 Chambal rivers namely Parbati, Kalisindh, Kshipra, Kuno, Lakhunder, Mej, Kyul by at least 17 big and small dams and barrages.
Continue reading “Yamuna Manthan 060324: Linking Plans Threatening Yamuna”(Feature Image: Waterlogged Red Fort after heavy rainfall and rising Yamuna river water level in New Delhi on Friday (July 14, 2023). Image Credit: ANI/Gulf News)
In absence of any official report so far, the causes behind unusual flood spell in Delhi in July 2023 remains to be fully explained, understood and addressed. Amid this, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources in its 27th report which was presented in Lok Sabha on February 06, 2024 has in a welcome step, deliberated on the issue under Chapter X titled “Role of Barrages on River Yamuna and Flood Management in Delhi” (60 to 66 pages) and has recommended some measures (page 86-88) to avoid its reoccurrence.
A careful reading of the chapter has only compounded the flood mystery and thrown some questions on the operation and management of Wazirabad and ITO barrages. The report has also revealed some contradictory and confusing statements by Central Water Commission (CWC), Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) and Haryana Government.
Continue reading “Delhi July 2023 Floods: Parliamentary Committee Report Raises More Questions”
