Tag: River

Himachal Pradesh 25 June 2023: Cloud Bursts Damage 2 Hydro Projects
Hydro Disaster

Himachal Pradesh 25 June 2023: Cloud Bursts Damage 2 Hydro Projects

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(Feature Image: Under construction 66 Mw Dhaulasiddh hydro project site in Hamirpur. Image Source: ETV Bharat)

With the onset of south west monsoon 2023, Himachal Pradesh has witnessed multiple incidents of ‘cloud bursts’ leading to destruction in Solan, Shimla, Hamirpur and Kullu between June 24-25. The extreme rainfall and resultant flash flood spells have caused widespread destruction to farms, cowsheds, local roads, bridges, vehicles and other public infrastructural in these districts. 

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

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

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(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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Photo Blog: Yamuna River A Year After Vyasi HEP
Yamuna River

Photo Blog: Yamuna River A Year After Vyasi HEP

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Vyasi HEP on Yamuna River is latest example of how the hydro power projects being pushed in the name of clean and green energy sources are failing on all fronts and proving a costly affair for the river, people and the nation.

The people who still think that the Run of the River (RoR) projects do not require a dam and cause no submergence of land; must visit the Vyasi HEP to witness the about 4 km long reservoir behind the 86-meter tall and 200-meter-long dam there.

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The Natural Water Systems that Make Ken a Living River
Ken River

The Natural Water Systems that Make Ken a Living River

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(Feature Image: Water pools (Dabras) formed in Ken (left) & Patne (right) rivers confluence in Pawai block, Panna district, MP. (Image taken during Ken River Yatra by SANDRP & Veditum) 

This report is based on the experiences and understandings made during a thirty-three-day long walk along Ken River covered in three phases in June & October 2017 and in April 2018 by Bhim Singh Rawat, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), Delhi and Siddharth Agarwal, Veditam India Foundation, Calcutta.

The objective of the report is to share the observations with common public as we have done in past which can be seen here Part 1, Part, 2, & Part 3. In future also we would try to prepare similar reports to highlight the unexplored aspects and lesser-known stories of Ken river. The Hindi version of this report can also be seen here.

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केन नदी को जीवित रखते, झीरा, झीना, डबरा, डबरी, दहार
Ken River

केन नदी को जीवित रखते, झीरा, झीना, डबरा, डबरी, दहार

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(Feature Image:-  पवई में सिमरा बहादुर के पास केन नदी के घुमाव पर बने दहार का एक फोटो। (Image taken during Ken River Yatra by SANDRP & Veditum) 

यह रिपोर्ट भीम सिंह रावत, साउथ एशिया नेटवर्क आन डैमस्, रिवर्स एंड पीपल (सैनड्रप) दिल्ली और सिद्धार्थ अग्रवाल, वेदितम इंडिया फाउंडेशन, कलकता द्वारा केन नदी की तैंतीस दिवसीय पदयात्रा के अनुभव पर आधारित है। इस पदयात्रा को जून एवं अक्टूबर 2017 और अप्रैल 2018 के दौरान तीन चरणों में पूरा किया गया था। रिपोर्ट का उद्देश्य यात्रा से मिले अनुभवों और समझ को साँझा करना है। पहले भी हम नदी यात्रा के विभिन पक्षों के बारे में लिख चुके हैं। जिसे आप यहाँ पढ़ सकते हैं –एक, दो, तीन,। आगे भी हम केन नदी के अनसुने पहलुओं को उजागर करने का प्रयास जारी रखेंगे।

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Yamuna Basin Storm Water Drain No 8 now Effluents Disposal Drain
Yamuna River

Yamuna Basin Storm Water Drain No 8 now Effluents Disposal Drain

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(Feature Image: DN 8 full of untreated effluents near GTK road on May 13, 2023. Bhim Singh Rawat)

In the past, the Storm Water Drains (SWD) used to be seasonal streams feeding Yamuna river in upper segment of Haryana. After introduction of canal based irrigation system, most of the SWDs dissected by Western Yamuna Canal (WYC) networks have been converted into flood escape channels.

In recent decades, many of these SWDs have been degraded into waste water disposal drains. The Dhanaura escape in Karnal, Drain Number (DN) 2 in Panipat and DN 6 in Sonepat districts of Haryana state are glaring example of the deliberate abuse.

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

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

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(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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April 2023: Breach in Micro Hydel Canal Damages crops in Punjab
Dam floods · Dams

April 2023: Breach in Micro Hydel Canal Damages crops in Punjab

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(Feature Image: Breach in GGSSTP micro hydel canal on April 26, 2023. Image by The Tribune)

A sudden breach in a micro hydel canal of Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant (GGSSTP) has damaged standing wheat crops on hundreds of acres of land in Ranjitpura village of Ropar district, Punjab. The breached occurred near Batarla around 08:00 am on April 24, 2023. 

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Uttarakhand 2023: Drona Sagar another Neglected Lake of Kashipur
Wetlands

Uttarakhand 2023: Drona Sagar another Neglected Lake of Kashipur

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Like Giri taal, the Drona Sagar (29.12’24 N & 78.58’15 E) is another lake in Kashipur town succumbing to official neglect. The circular water body is spread over about 3 hectare of land and is hardly 1.5 km away from Giri taal in south east direction.

In recent past, both the lakes were fed by a distributary canal originating from Tumria dam on Phika river in Ramganga basin. Presently the canal portion between these lakes has been replaced with giant RCC hume pipes and a RCC road has been laid over it. The inlet of the canal joining Drona Sagar has also been cemented.

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Sikkim: Landslide near NHPC’s Teesta V dam in March 2023
Hydro Disaster

Sikkim: Landslide near NHPC’s Teesta V dam in March 2023

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(Feature Image: Screen grab of Sikkim Spectators field visit video report interviewing landslide affected local people)

NHPC’s Teesta V HEP dam site has again witnessed a disastrous landslide. The incident occurred between 02:00 am and 03:00 am on Sunday, March 26, 2023 in Sokpay village area under Dikchu Zang block of Gangtok district. The same morning, Gyatso Lepcha of Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), Sikkim alerted SANDRP about the landslide.

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