DRP 220925: India urgently needs National Silt Policy, Prudent silt management

September 22, 2025September 22, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: As the floodwaters recede, silt deposition has been observed in many parts of Mand area in Sultanpur Lodhi, Kapurthala.)

There are a number of stories this week and throughout the ongoing SW monsoon, where the key central figure is the same: Silt. This is true in case of reports about silting of dams, silting of rivers, illegal dumping of silt in rivers and dams, accumulated silt choking Punjab and Delhi rivers, and even a suggestion that what Indus Basin needs is silt management policy.

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Dams, Rivers & People

DRP 150925: Flawed, dishonest Kalai-II HEP EIA

September 15, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

It’s heartening to see the Editorial in Arunachal Times (see below) about the flawed, dishonest, cut and paste Environment Impact Assessment report of the Kalai-II Hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh. NEHR has written about this to the Anjaw district Deputy Commissioner and one hopes the DC has the courage to take appropriate action: Halt the public hearing and ask the project proponent to get a proper EIA done by a competent and honest consultant. WAPCOS Ltd, which has done the current flawed EIA has been known to do such flawed EIAs on numerous occasions in the past as we have written about it and also informed the MoEF, Expert Appraisal Committee on River Valley Committee, without any impact so far unfortunately.

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DRP 080925: Will the higher judiciary Listen?

September 8, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Seraj valley in Mandi district of Himachal battered by extreme weather events in July 2025)

Well known environmentalist Manshi Asher through the following article is giving a very important message that everyone, particularly Judiciary needs to listen and act upon. While higher judiciary is rightly highly respected, its track record on acting on environmental issues is far from satisfactory and leaves a lot to be desired.

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Dam Induced Flood Disaster · Dam Safety · Dams, Rivers & People · Indus

DRP 010925: Punjab floods need independent inquiry

September 1, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Punjab WRD minister Barinder Kumar Goyal asserted that the timely release of water by the BBMB in June could have significantly reduced the damage caused by the floods.)

It is clear from the following details that the massive floods that Punjab experienced and parts continue to experience even now has a lot to do with the way Bhakra, Pong and Ranjit Sagar dams were operated. There was sufficient actionable information that was available to take advance water release action. Had these actions been taken, the proportions of the disaster could have been reduced. The risk of further floods remains considering the IMD forecast of heavy rains in catchments of these dams during the remaining weeks of SW Monsoon 2025.

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Climate Change · Himalayas · Hydro Disaster · Landslide · Uttarakhand

Aug 2025: Landslide Damages NHPC’s Dhauliganga HEP in Uttarakhand

September 1, 2025September 1, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

A landslide incident has partially damaged the power house tunnel of NHCP’s Dhauliganga HEP in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand. The incident occurred in the evening of Aug 30, 2025 after heavy rainfall also blocked the mouth of underground tunnel with rocks and debris. The HEP is built on Dhauliganga river in Dharchula tehsil of the district.

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Dam floods · Dam Safety · Indus · Monsoon

Aug 2025: Ravi Flood Damages Madhopur Barrage Gates in Punjab

August 29, 2025December 13, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: 2 gates of the Madhopur Barrage washed away on Aug 27, flooding parts of Pathankot & Gurdaspur.)

A severe flood spell in Ravi river has damaged at least three flood gates of Madhopur barrage in Pathankot district of Punjab. The incident occurred in the evening of Aug 27, 2025 amid an effort to open the jammed gates of the barrage. The situation became critical after 2.12 lakh cusecs of water discharged from the upstream Ranjit Sagar Dam (RSD) dangerously increased the flood level at the barrage on Aug. 26.

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Dam Induced Flood Disaster · Floods

DRP 250825: Threat of Dam Floods continue to be ignored

August 25, 2025December 5, 2025 SANDRP2 Comments

(Feature Image: The release of water from Pong Dam has brought devastation to Mand Bhograwan village in Kangra district, where the sudden rise in the Beas river has submerged several acres of fertile land and put houses at risk. Aug 17.)

Sudden release of large quantity of water from the dams has the potential of creating avoidable floods in the downstream areas as we could see last week in case of Ukai Dam water releases affecting Surat in South Gujarat, Ujani and Jayakwadi dam water releases in Maharashtra, Bhakra and Pong dam releases in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, among others. In all these cases, we can show that earlier water release was warranted based on available information, considering the carrying capacity of the downstream river, but such action was delayed till either the dam was full before water started (e.g. Ujani and Jayakwadi) or too large water releases created avoidable flood impacts in case of Ukai Dam on Tapi River in South Gujarat and also in case of Bhakra and Pong dams. There were also extensive damages in Mirzapur and Chandauli districts of Uttar Pradesh due to sudden release of water from a number of dams including Chandra Prabha Dam, Ahraura dam and Jargo Dam among others.

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Climate Change · Dams · Hydro Power Projects · Rivers

DRP 18 Aug2025: Sustainable Hydropower an Oxymoron?

August 18, 2025 SANDRP1 Comment

Analyzing a recent paper authored by 37 persons mainly from academics and hydropower related companies on “Sustainable Hydropower”, Eugene Simonov shows why the phrase is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. The paper fails to even refer to the most important work on hydropower projects, the report of the World Commission on Dams.

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Climate Change · Cloud Burst · Disasters · Floods · Himalayas · Monsoon

Aug 2025: Five Road Workers Missing After Flashfloods in Pauri-Uttarakhand

August 8, 2025August 8, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Search Operation on Aug 07, 2025 in Katola gaad of Bankura village in Chauthan Patti, Thaisain, Pauri. Source: Uttarakhand Police)

The Chauthan Patti under Thailisain block of Pauri Garhwal district in Uttarakhand has again been battered by excessive rainfall events on August 06 2025. Villagers have reported of 3 incidents of ‘cloudburst’ induced flashflood causing severe damages in Bankura, Mansari and Sarson villages.

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Climate Change · Dams · Rivers

DRP 040825: Arunachal Activists urge Centre to find dimensions of China’s Medog Dam

August 4, 2025August 4, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Aerial view of the Yarlung Tsangpo’s Great Bend, Medog County)

Arunachal and other Himalayan states activists in a press conference in Delhi have rightly urged the Union Government to publicly demand from China all the features and dimensions of the Medog Dam on Yarlung Tsangpo river, their impact assessments and share the same promptly in public domain before even considering any project like the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP). This is important since without knowing the features, dimensions, operating procedures and impact assessments, all the projections being made about the possible impacts of the projects are completely speculative and unfounded.

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