DRP 110923: Another independent institution-CEC destroyed

September 11, 2023February 27, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Ramganga River near Marchula. SANDRP 08 Sept. 2023)

The Govt of India’s Sept 5 2023 notification reconstituting the Central Empowered Committee completely destroys the independent nature of this institution of accountability and course correction. This institution, set up by the Supreme Court in 2002 and reconstituted in 2008, worked as eyes and ears of the Supreme Court on environmental issues. The new committee has no independent members, it will be constituted by the MoEF, MoEF itself has such an abysmally poor track record.

The notification, reports said, diluted the CEC’s autonomy on four key counts: the committee will report to the ministry, instead of the SC; the ministry will pick all the members and the SC will have no role in the process; the ministry, and not the court, will fund the committee; the provision of having two NGOs in the committee has been done away with.

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Floods

Rivers Crossing Highest Flood Levels in India in August 2023

September 6, 2023September 6, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

(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 News Bulletin

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

September 4, 2023February 27, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(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 News Bulletin

DRP 280823: Defund nature destroying activities

August 28, 2023February 27, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Construction work of World Bank funded 444Mw Vishugad-Pipaltkoti hydro dam project is going. The Developer have been found dumping muck in massive amount in river and carrying out blasting work evening during monsoon time. Image Source: Social Media)

This is indeed the key message if we are serious about tackling climate change with any sincerity. The adverse impacts of mindless activities in the name of development, are acting as force multipliers for climate change impacts as we are experiencing first hand, latest example being in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.

Particularly when the “development” activities are done without credible project specific and cumulative impact assessment, genuine public consultation process and confidence inspiring monitoring and compliance processes, as is the norm.

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Yamuna River

Uttarakhand: Aug 2023 Landslide Renders Jakhan in Yamuna Valley Inhabitable

August 28, 2023August 29, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Landslide damaged homes in Jakhan village, Dehradun. Image source: Social Media)

The Jakhan village in Yamuna valley suffered a huge landslide in noon hours of August 16, 2023. The village is populated by 28 families. The incident has reportedly damaged 10 houses and 07 cowsheds fully and 02 houses partially apart from impacting a power transmission tower of Power Transmission Corp of Uttarakhand Ltd (PTCUL) forcing the villagers to take refuge in nearby primary school of village Pashta.

The village is part of Binhar region situated about 5 km uphill the power station of 120 Mw Vyasi Hydro Electric Power (HEP) Project on Yamuna river. The Vyasi Project is in Hathyari village of Vikas Nagar tehsil in Dehradun district. Before the fateful incident, the area had witnessed prolonged rain spells and the villagers had seen small cracks around the village.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP 140823: A year after Karam dam disaster: people suffer, engineer set free, contractor building more dams

August 14, 2023February 27, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Breach in Karam dam, Madhya Pradesh. Source:- Social Media)

It was on Aug 13, 2022, a year ago when the Karam dam wall in Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh started leaking water. Two days later it collapsed. The people who suffered during the disaster continue to suffer. The engineers who were supposed to ensure proper construction of the dam, following all the norms, did not do that, were supposed to be suspended, but got reinstated elsewhere. They kept quiet in the courts. The black listed contractor continues to build more dams.

A clearer evidence of the nexus that supports unwanted, destructive, costly, corruption ridden and disastrous dams would be difficult to find. As the destruction due to dams and such other unaccountable infrastructure development plays out in Himachal Pradesh & elsewhere this year, the nexus that thrives on opaque, unaccountable and non-participatory governance continues to happily grow even as the changing rainfall patterns bring greater disasters before our eyes.

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Dams

DRP 070823: Forests & Biodiversity amendments: Gap between intent & application

August 7, 2023February 27, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Dense Dudhatoli forest range near Peethsain in Thalisain block of Pauri Garhwal. Feb. 2023/ SANDRP)

As editorial comments in two different national newspapers given below shows, the biodiversity and forest conservation amendment bills passed by the Parliament last week weaken the cause of biodiversity and forest conservation, when it is most pressingly required to strengthen them.

Both amendments pave the way for ease of doing business and reducing role of local communities, both in terms of legal norms and practical implications.

The need for conservation of these resources was never more urgent than now considering the impacts of climate change on them and their importance for not only livelihood security of vast millions, but also for hydrological implications, food security, protection against increasing frequency and intensity of disasters, but also for adaptation in the context of changing climate. We hope against hope that better sense will prevail sooner rather than later to ensure the amendments do not lead to destruction of forest and biodiversity resources.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP 310723: Disastrous SHORT TERMISM in Urban India

July 31, 2023February 27, 2026 SANDRP1 Comment

(Feature Image: Earthmovers on restoration work as massive landslide damaged buildings at Shamti after heavy monsoon rainfall, in Solan district, on July 11, 2023 | Photo Credit: PTI/The Hindu)

The Supreme Court’s notice on Shimla development plan that lacks balance between development and environment is welcome and one hopes the apex court takes the issue to its logical conclusion. The consequences of unplanned and ill planned urban developments are a clear invitation to major disasters, including floods, landslides, traffic congestions, air and water pollution, health hazards and also water shortages. The Shimla Master plan also violates the NGT directions with complete impunity.

This is exactly what the EDIT in the Times of India on Mussoorie misery, dangerous short termism that pervades across sectors in Urban India with no policy to guide Urban Water sector or for that matter any other sector.

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Dams

DRP 240723: Urgently need parameters that will truly reflect rainfall pattern

July 24, 2023February 27, 2026 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: – IMD’s District Wise Cumulative Rainfall Map for 01 June to 23 July 2023)

India received 389.2 mm rainfall till 0830 hrs on July 23, 2023 in SW monsoon. This being 5% above the normal rainfall till this date of 370.9 mm, India Meteorological Department and with it, the whole nation calls it Normal Monsoon. But anyone who is familiar with the rainfall pattern across India will not call it Normal.

We must urgently develop new parameters for describing the monsoon that also take into account spatial (across states, districts, Tehsils, blocks) and temporal variability. These parameters should take into account the departure from normal for each unit of space for each day and combine such departures to arrive at a figure that will better describe the monsoon for each unit of space. It can also take into consideration the high intensity rainfall events as also the longer dryer patches. This will help us understand not only the nature of monsoon rainfall, but also alert the farmers and everyone else but also help us understand how this pattern is changing over the years. This should not be so difficult for IMD to initiate and accomplish quickly. When aggregated at river basin level, this will also help us understand the actual rainfall pattern in each river basin but also how it is changing. Is this too much to ask?

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP 170723: Man-Made Reasons That Make Flood A Disaster

July 17, 2023February 27, 2026 SANDRP2 Comments

(Feature Image: At Bhuntar, the Beas in spate claimed more than 20 shops, several houses and a major chunk of the road. PTI/The Tribune)

Over the past 10 days, several Himalayan and North Indian states including national capital Delhi have been battling severe flood disaster which has already taken a heavy toll of human lives apart from displacing people in large numbers and causing massive scale and still unfolding destruction to public-private infrastructure which is still unfolding.

While at macro level the impact of climate change induced excessive and abnormal rainfall patterns is seen as a major culprit but the micro level analysis reveals the deep connection of human activities behind the devastation on ground.

For example, in Himachal and Uttarakhand it is increasingly becoming clear that the large-scale construction and widening of improperly designed and poorly executed highways projects have started proving a double whammy for the fragile hills and river systems.

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