July 2025: GLOF Disaster Impact Ten HEPs in Nepal

July 24, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Pre and post flood images of Tibet’s Pyurepu Glacier region. Source)

A Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) disaster in Lehende Khola river impacted several hydro-electric power (HEP) projects in Nepal on July 8, 2025. The deadly flood occurred around 3 am in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts of Nepal bordering Tibet region under China control. As a result, the water level in Lehende river rose by 3.5 meters in Timure, Rasuwa. The merging of Kerung and Lehende rivers in Tibet forms the Bhotekoshi river in Nepal and it is part of Trishuli sub-basin under Narayani river system.

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brahmaputra · Dams, Rivers & People

Dams, Rivers & People: June 9 2025: The Myths around Brahmaputra River

June 9, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

The Brahmaputra is believed to have two mythological fathers – Lord Brahma and sage Shantanu. In the 16^th-century text Yogini Tantra, dedicated to the worship of goddesses like Kali and Kamakhya, the river is linked to an ancient ablution ritual with the following invocation:
O Son of Brahma! O Son of Shantanu! O Lohit! O Son of Lohit!
I bow before you, wash away my sins of the last three births.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP NB 130125: Will Judiciary take these matters to logical conclusion?

January 13, 2025January 20, 2025 SANDRPLeave a comment

There are at least four cases in this past week where the judiciary has used strong words or taken up crucial issues in water, dams, hydropower projects, wetlands and riverbed mining related issues. In the case related to the safety of Mullaperiyar dam on Kerala-TN border, the Supreme Court has prodded the Centre to wake up from the slumber to ensure that National Dam Safety Authority quickly forms a panel to examine the project. This case has wide ranging repercussions not only about this project, but also functioning of NDSA and other bodies under the Dam Safety Act 2021. Indeed, there is huge question mark as to what extent NDSA and DSA has made our dams any safer.

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DRP News Bulletin

DRP NB 220124: Welcome news about Rainfall related issues

January 22, 2024January 22, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

There are a number of welcome developments this week related to rainfall. Firstly, forecasters say that the El Nino may start weakening from Feb and may weaken by June 2024 and neutralize thereafter. This can possibly mean good rainfall in SW Monsoon 2024.

Second bit of welcome development is that IMD, on turning 150, has declared that it will set up more doppler radars, rainfall measuring stations and use supercomputers to predict state and district level rainfall, currently it only does at national and four regions.

The study of tehsil level rainfall trends over the last four decades is the third piece of welcome development on rainfall. We need many more studies like this, possibly from IMD itself. More details given below.

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brahmaputra · Landslide dam

Massive Landslide on Yarlung Tsangpo on March 22, 2021

March 30, 2021April 5, 2021 SANDRP1 Comment

Dave Petley has on March 29, 2021[i] reported that a massive landslide has occurred along Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet, just upstream of Great Bend. (coordinates: 29.815, 94.932, the centre of the landslide source.)

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Arunachal Pradesh · brahmaputra · China · Dams · Hydropower

Why is India not demanding TEIA for the Great Bend Hydro proposal of China?

December 23, 2020December 26, 2020 SANDRP2 Comments

While one can never be too sure what is the exact meaning of Chinese whispers, a thoughtful response has to take into account the available facts and the context. This report tries to take stock of available facts and context of this latest episode that started at the end of November 2020 and is still going on: China’s proposed massive hydropower project on the Great Bend of Yarlung Tsangpo River just before the river enters India as Siang, a tributary of Brahmaputra river. It also reviews the key media reports published on this issue.

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Arunachal Pradesh · brahmaputra · China · Landslide dam

Another Landslide Dam on Yarlung Tsangpo raises more questions

November 1, 2018November 6, 2018 SANDRP2 Comments

On Oct 29, 2018, another landslide dam blocked the path of Yarlung Tsangpo Dam, reportedly at the same location as the Oct 17,2018 landslide dam[i]. It breached on Oct 31, without any reported major calamity, but these repeated occurrences, twice in two weeks and third time in ten months (if we include Dec 2017[ii] landslides) raises a lot of questions. The silence of government of India institutions about the possible causes or other analysis, including by Central Water Commission, Union Ministry of Water Resources, National Disaster Management Authority or even National Remote Sensing Agency has, as expected, raised questions and speculations in Arunachal Pradesh. Continue reading “Another Landslide Dam on Yarlung Tsangpo raises more questions” →

Lohit River

Photo Journey along free flowing Lohit River in Arunachal Pradesh

July 17, 2018July 18, 2018 SANDRP3 Comments

Guest Blog by Nivedita Khandekar

An abundance of a river and fast diminishing forests This photo-story chronicles the various moods of Lohit river from the point it enters India to the point where it is joined by two equally big rivers to form the mighty Brahmaputra. All photographs taken by Nivedita Khandekar during various journeys over the last decade, mostly in winters.

From references in Indian mythology to the location for proposed cascade of hydro-power projects, Lohit river of Arunachal Pradesh in north-eastern India is unique in many ways. It enters India at the juncture of Tibet, Myanmar and India at the easternmost point. It is as if this free-flowing, almost tempestuous river, cutting across the Himalayan hills, draws its tenacity from the people abounding its path. It would not be wrong to say that the unpretentious Meyor and the Mishmi communities lend their character to the river they call their own. After meandering through the Mishmi Hills, it traverses a short distance at the foothills as if freed from hilly prison only to assimilate its huge volume of waters with two other giant rivers to form the colossal Brahmaputra. Continue reading “Photo Journey along free flowing Lohit River in Arunachal Pradesh” →

brahmaputra · China · Siang

Muddy Siang is sign of danger ahead, wake up call for Indian authorities

December 24, 2017January 2, 2018 SANDRPLeave a comment

The current ongoing episode of Muddy Siang River water in Arunachal Pradesh is due to landslides in the upstream Tibet, triggered by the earthquakes starting on Nov 17, 2017 or possibly earlier. This is revealed by the satellite pictures and work of two researchers, first published in Arunachal Times on Dec 21, 2017[i]. These landslides are partly blocking the Siang flow and could lead to massive floods in the downstream Arunachal Pradesh and Assam any day.

A similar event in year 2000 led to sudden, massive floods in Siang River in Arunachal Pradesh on June 1, 2000. That episode, like the current one, started about 53 days before the floods, on April 9, 2000 due to landslides along a tributary of Yarlung Tsangpo, as Siang is known in Tibet. Continue reading “Muddy Siang is sign of danger ahead, wake up call for Indian authorities” →

Arunachal Pradesh · Assam · brahmaputra · Dams · Lohit River

‘Banks of the Lohit will shine’: Glimpses of a free-flowing river

October 26, 2017October 26, 2017 SANDRP1 Comment

Above: Lohit River, Parshuram Kund on the right. Photo: Parineeta Dandekar

Assam, Arunachal and the North East India, West Bengal and Bangladesh are riverine entities in many ways. Ancient rivers flowing through this landscape have moulded not only the mountains and the silt-heavy banks, but cultural identity of the region itself. Rivers permeate through the literature, folklore, songs, poems, cuisine, even dressing… Bhupen Hazarika, the Bard of the Brahmaputra, likened the red ripples of the Assamese Gamcha (red and white stole) to the braided filigree of the Red River. When Guwahati University opened on the banks of Luit, Hazarika sang “Jilikabo Luiter Paar”..Banks of the Luit will Shine. Rivers stood for revolution as they stood for Love.. Jyoti Prasad Agarwal wrote “Luitar Parore Ami Deka Lora.. Moribole Bhoi Nai.” (“We are the youth from the banks of the Luit/ We are not afraid of death”). Older poets like Parvato Prasad Baruah wrote entire books full of poems of Luit and today modern poets in Assam like Jeeban Narah link their creative processes inextricably to rivers. Continue reading “‘Banks of the Lohit will shine’: Glimpses of a free-flowing river” →