What’s New – 2011

December 2011

• Dams, Rivers & People, Nov-Dec 2011, Vol 9 Issue 10-11

INDEX	Page No
The threat of unsafe Mullaperiyar dam	1
CWC Report on Water Quality Hot Spots says little, hides a lot	5
Dolphins of the Ganga: Few fading, fewer frolicking	8
How to ruin living rivers: Fall of River Shastri	11
Traditional Water Management Systems of E Vidarbha-II	14
European Commission to review CDM Hydro status	18
Flood-banks along Krishna causing conflicts	19
Fraudulent Hydropower companies in Karnataka	20
Chenab basin projects, Luhri HEP face stiff opposition in Himachal	21
WAPCOS DOES IT AGAIN: shoddy studies in Arunachal Pradesh	22
MoEF approves project rejected twice by FAC in critical wildlife area	24
West Bengal forms a panel on Wetlands	25
Atrocious: Police burn 200 floating huts at Loktak	26
Nepal: West Seti Hydropower project dropped	28
International Court prohibits permanent work on Kishanganga	29
Burma: Myitsone dam on the Irrawaddy dropped	30
Three Gorges Dam triggered 3,000 earthquakes	31
NEW PUBLICATION: ADB hydro project report in HP in HINDI	32

• Comments on WAPCOS study on effect of Hydro peaking of dams in Arunachal on Dibru Sakhowa National Park in Assam, Dec 2011
• Rivers of Maharashtra, Dec 2011
• Why Mullaperiyar Dam needs to be decommissioned urgently, Dec 2011
• Press Release: Mullaperiyar Dispute – Urgent Action required, Dec 2011

November 2011

• Scam: UNFCCC registers Rampur hydro, Nov 2011
• Reviving Adan River through conservation and employment generation, Nov 2011
• Traditional Water Management Systems of Eastern Vidarbha: Community Conservation, Nov 2011
• Novel Conservation reserves on Kali, Bedthi and Aghanashini in the Western Ghats, Nov 2011
• Lohit Basin Study by WAPCOS: A mockery of e-flows and cumulative impacts, Nov 2011
• Mismanagement of Hirakud leads to Orissa Floods in 2011, Nov 2011
• Teesta Dams & the Sikkim Earthquake 2011, Nov 2011

October 2011

• Dams, Rivers & People, Sept- Oct 2011, Vol 9 Issue 8-9

INDEX	Page No
Scam: UNFCCC registers Rampur hydro	1
Reviving Adan River through conservation and employment generation	2
Himachal bans hydropower projects in Tirthan & tributaries	4
Traditional Water Management Systems of E Vidarbha: Community Conservation	5
Dams, Rivers and Ecology	9
Novel Conservation reserves on Kali, Bedthi and Aghanashini in the Western Ghats	12
Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment in Western Ghats	15
Lohit Basin Study by WAPCOS: A mockery of e-flows and cumulative impacts	17
Dam Planners not accounting for climate change	20
ISRO: Himalayan glaciers are receding	21
FAC members critical of corrupt Forest bureaucracy	22
HC orders fresh public hearing for Lanco Project	23
Mismanagement of Hirakud leads to avoidable flood disaster in Orissa AGAIN	24
Polavaram: Tenders lead to fresh controversy	25
Sindhol Hydro opposed in Orissa	26
Activists in Dibang being branded as Maoists	27
Teesta Dams & the Sikkim Earthquake	28
Growing opposition to big hydro in Himachal Pradesh	29
Bichhri case revisited: SC penalises polluting industry to evade court orders	30
HC order: No construction within 500 m of High Flood Level of Ganga and Yamuna	31

• Diminishing Returns from Large Hydro Power Projects in INDIA, Oct 2011

September 2011

• Massive Displacement and Degraded Ecosystems: Long Shadows of India’s rapid Urban Growth, Sep 2011
• AHEC’s Pathetic Cumulative Impact Assessment of Ganga Hydro projects, Sep 2011
• Ganga Basin Report by AHEC-IIT Roorkee- Review of River Ecology Aspects, Sep 2011
• Industrial and Domestic Water Supply Dams for Mumbai- No EIA, No PH, No Clearances, No Monitoring, Sep 2011
• National Wetlands Atlas 2011- Taking Baby Steps in the Right Direction, Sep 2011
• Map of Hydro Electric Projects in Bhagirathi & Alaknanda Basins, Sep 2011

August 2011

• Dams, Rivers & People, June-July-Aug 2011, Vol 9, Issue 5-6-7

INDEX	Page No
AHEC-IITR’s Ganga Basin Report: Flawed, Shoddy, Biased & Unacceptable	1
The Official EAC on RVP critical of Ganga Basin Cumulative Impact Report	8
Ganga Basin Cumulative Assessment: A review of River Ecology Aspects	9
Ganga Basin Cumulative Assessment: A review of Water Quality Aspects	14
DAMS for Mumbai: No EIA, No Clearances, No hearings, no monitoring	15
National Wetlands Atlas: Baby step in Right Direction	19
J Ramesh Tenure at MEF: BIG BANG, LACKING IN SYSTEMIC CHANGES	22
Workshop on Reservoir Operation Management in Kerala	24
IMD: Climate Change has induced increased flood risk in India	25
Adverse Impacts of Lower Subansiri	26
Report: ADB’s green label not working for 4 Himachal Hydro projects	27
Vidarbha farmers demand white paper on Irrigation Scam and Water Theft	28
IIM Report: Gujarat’s high Agri growth Not due to SSP	29
Leader trying to protect wetlands shot dead in W Bengal	30
Ramesh clears 40 wildlife affecting projects in two hours without discussion	31
NEW REPORT, Eliot on Rivers	32

July 2011

• Jairam Ramesh as Environment Minister – An Assessment, July 2011
• Letter to UNFCCC Objections on Rampur Hydro CDM Credits, July 2011

June 2011

• Comments on Cumulative Impact Assessment of Ganga Basin Hydro Projects , June 2011

May 2011

• Press Release on ADB Financed HEP in HP, May 2011
• A Report on ADB Financed Hydropower Projects in Himachal Pradesh, May 2011
• Dams, Rivers & People April May 2011, Vol 9, Issue 3-4

INDEX	Page No
Analysis of TAC guidelines and decisions in recent meetings	1
Conflicts over water in Chile – Between Human Rights and Market Rules	2
Dying Rivers of Goa: Impact of mining on water resources	10
Blue Rivers of Meghalaya	13
Small Projects, Big impacts: Micro & mini hydel projects in Himachal Pradesh	15
Himachal Fisheries Department compromises rivers for money	16
Subarnarekha: A Streak of radioactive pollution?	17
Maharashtra amends water authority bill, cabinet gets unaccountable powers	18
BOOK REVIEW: In search of Yamuna	19
Interlinking of Rivers in Bihar	20
Inequality & climate Vulnerability Linked	23
Dams in the Western Ghats to quench Mumbai’s never ending demands	24
Villagers construct their own dams in Chhattisgarh	25
High Court puts on hold Mini-hydel projects in Western Ghats	26
Demand of release of freshwater into Yamuna round the year: key issues	27
Yamuna Bachao Andolan: To make the river flow	28
Fate of Trouts in of J & Kashmir streams	29
Jairam Ramesh: Ken Betwa Linking Disastrous	30
World Bank, India to help Afghanistan build Kabul River dams	31
NEW PUBLICATIONS	32

April 2011

• Letter to Union Ministry of Water Resources for transparency, participation in Decision making process Apr 2011
• Dams, Rivers and People March 2011

INDEX	Page No
Maharashtra gifts farmers’ water to industries	1
CIC orders CWC to disclose backwater studies in public interest	2
Bihar Success Story in System of Crop Intensification	3
Bihar Floods, Breaching Embankments and Suppressing Information	8
A Review of Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-2 Report	10
Climate Change in Jharkhand: Extreme rain deficit	13
SC Slams Govt on Gosikhurd rehabilitation	14
Sardar Sarovar will take 176 years: Gujarat MLA	16
Below 16% allocation for Artificial Recharge of Groundwater could be spent	17
Corruption in Kulu HEPs: Officers under scanner	19
Successful Participatory Irrigation Development in Vidarbha	20
Communities construct their own canals	21
High Court: Limit withdrawal to 50% from rivers	22
UN: Eco-Farming Could Double Food Output	23
Chhattisgarh proposal for River linkage: For private benefits?	24
Chhattisgarh: Bogda dam sold for Private TPS?	25
Kerala law to hold Coke accountable for the damages in Plachimada	26
China water crisis and why dams wont help, but could worsen the crisis	27
US: Dangers behind Aging Dams	30
European Parliament asks World Bank not to fund big hydro, big dams	31

West Flowing Rivers

March 2011

• Nuclear Power India – Declining Generation High Costs and Risks March 2011
• Press Release: Polavaram – Regulator acts as promoter – misinforms Parliament March 5, 2011
• India Water Sector- PERFORMANCE and CHALLENGES March 2011

February 2011

• Dams, Rivers and People February 2011

INDEX	Page No
The continuing farce called conditional clearances	1
Global Crop Water Footprint	3
Violation of environment law by Four Himachal HEPs: Will MEF act?	4
River Schools can make the future look bright	14
How debris affect Himalayan Glaciers	17
MEF to AP: Implement Forest Rights Act in Polavaram Area	18
BBMB refuses to provide irrigation water to Bhakra oustees	19
Sardar Sarovar Land scam: IAS officers taken to High Court	20
Review all Arunachal Dams: Assam CM to PM	21
Ranganadi downstream affected demand compensation	22
TN HC: shut down Tirupur units or polluting Noyyal River	24
Sand mining of rivers in Uttar Pradesh goes to High Court	25
Padyatra against Par Tapi Narmada River Link Proposal	29
US report says climate change can stir Indo Pak conflict	30
Writings on the Wall	32

• Press Release on CIC order to CWC to make the Almatti backwater study public Feb 16 2011
• CIC orders CWC to disclose backwater level studies in public interest following SANDRP appealFeb 2011
• SANDRP PR Wetlands Rules Not Good Enough For Protecting Wetlands Feb 3 2011
• India’s wetlands in peril Feb 2011
• Violations of Environment Norms by Four Big Himachal Hydroelectric Projects- Photographic Evidence Feb 2011

January 2011

• Map of Hydro Electric Projects in Upper Yamuna Basin Jan 19, 2011
• Dams, Rivers and People December 2010 – January 2011

INDEX	Page
Wetland Rules 2010: Welcome, but won’t help wetlands	1
Water Crisis in Ramsar Wetlands of India	7
Can India be firm with China on Brahmaputra basin dams?	12
Why MoEF needs to urgently take up some systemic tough actions	14
Climate Change and Manipur’s wetlands	15
India dodged UN to get climate credits?	16
Kishau dam a National Project? Serious Questions about MWR	17
INDIAN EXPRESS at it again: Blind advocacy FOR dams	18
Srinagar HEP challenged in High Court and CEC	19
Scam in the Maharashtra Irrigation Projects?	20
Big Polluters of Orissa	21
FAO predicts Food Crisis in 2011	22
China: 36 punished over fatal dam breach	23
Writings on the Wall	24