The 2023 Yamuna floods of Delhi only a trailer of bigger floods to come in future?

August 12, 2023 SANDRP2 Comments

(Feature Image:- Boats tied to Yamuna river bank at Wazirabad Barrage in June 2023. SANDRP)

In this detailed interview by Questions of Cities; Bhim Singh Rawat, associate coordinator, SANDRP talks on multiple issues affecting the Yamuna and offers some corrective measures to improve the overall condition of the river. The interview has already been published by Question of Cities and can be seen here. The interview also covers possible reasons behind unusual floods in Yamuna in Delhi in July 2023 and the detailed SANDRP blog on the issue can be seen here.

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Hydro Disaster

Himachalis blame NHPC dams for flood disaster in Sainj Valley in July 2023

August 9, 2023August 12, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image:- Deluge in Pin Parbati river engufling riverbank habitations in Sainj market on July 09, 2023. Source: Anil Khatri Vlogs)

The official report of what has transpired in Sainj Valley under Banjar subdivision of Kullu district during July 8-10, 2023 is still not in public domain, however the multiple media reports suggest it to be one of the worst flood disasters for the valley and have once again raised serious questions on the role the hydroelectric power (HEP) projects. Local people have specifically underlined the gross negligence by National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) company for turning floods into a disaster. Moreover, old media reports from the area have also highlighted that it was a disaster in the making for which the state government machinery as well hydro projects and NHPC have contributed hugely.

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Rivers Breaching Highest Flood Levels in July 2023

August 3, 2023September 1, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

( Feature Image: CWC’s water level gauge set up along Yamuna river at Old Railway Bridge, Delhi. 28 June 2023/ SANDRP)

The analysis of hydrographs being published on Center Water Commission’s (CWC) Flood Forecasting website shows that the previous Highest Flood Levels (HFL) have been breached at least at 34 flood monitoring sites across the country in July 2023. The river basin wise details of all these sites are given in tables below.

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Yamuna River

July 2023 Delhi Floods: Why Unprecedented Yamuna Water Levels even at moderate releases?

July 16, 2023April 6, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Cycles of fisherfolks by the Yamuna and ongoing construction of Metro Bridge downstream of Wazirabad Barrage two weeks before the July 2023 floods. Bhim Singh Rawat/SANDRP, June 28, 2023)

The national capital is witnessing one of the worst flood spells with water level at Railway Bridge breaching the highest recorded 207.49 m of Sept 6, 1978 by 1.17 m. The Yamuna seems eager to reclaim all its relict channel and encroached floodplain areas.

The River has set 208.66 meter as new HFL (Highest Flood Levels) for the site at 18:00 hours on 13 July 2023 which is 1.17 meter higher than the 1978’s HFL. The flood level is receding now.

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CWC - Central Water Commission

Rivers Breaching High Flood Level in June 2023

July 6, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

In the first month of South West (SW) monsoon season June 2023, there have been Highest Flood Level (HFL) breach incidents at two sites. Both of these sites namely Suklai on Suklai river and DRF on Puthimari river are level monitoring sites located in Baksa district of Assam in Brahmaputra basin.

Interestingly, the old HFL at both sites were attained in 2020 and 2022 only and the old HFLs were breached thrice between June 15 and 20, 2023. The details of old and new HFLs for these sites are given in table below.

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Hydro Disaster

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

June 27, 2023June 27, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

(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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Yamuna River

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

June 26, 2023June 26, 2023 SANDRP2 Comments

(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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Yamuna River

Photo Blog: Yamuna River A Year After Vyasi HEP

June 17, 2023June 18, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

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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Ken River

The Natural Water Systems that Make Ken a Living River

June 6, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

(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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Ken River

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

June 3, 2023June 6, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

(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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