Dams are being built in different sizes depending on the requirements and the height permissible at the particular site. The higher a dam, the larger the concerns for undesirable impacts that have to be mitigated and the assurance that has to be given to everyone that the dam is not a time bomb, the unfortunate sentiment that many tend to possess. Dams have multi-directional benefits that are much larger than the visible damage that it creates.

Warning comes after the approval by a sub group of the Narmada Control authority to a proposal to raise height of the dam from 122 meters to 138.68 meters

Medha Patkar has warned of a situation similar to Uttarakhand in the Narmada Valley in Madhya Pradesh if the height of the Sardar Sarovar dam is increased.

For most tourists, a visit to the hill station at Munnar is not complete without a boat safari on the scenic Mattupetty reservoir. But very few of them are aware of the impact of boating on the environment and wildlife.

The Kerala State Biodiversity Board and the Forest department have raised the alarm about the pollution caused by motorised boats plying the reservoir and the litter left behind by tourists.

Abandon plans to build a new dam, says activist

C.P. Roy, former chairman of Mullaperiyar Samara Samithi, has reiterated his demand for the construction of a tunnel from the Mullaperiyar dam.
He also has sought the abandonment of the plan to build a new dam. Mr. Roy’s demands come close on the heels of the State Budget allocating Rs.50 crore for the construction of a new dam at Mullaperiyar.

Kolhapur: A fresh study of the earthquake-prone areas in the Koyna-Warna reservoir area is under way. A team of scientists from the CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, has arrived here and is expected to study the areas where seismic activity has been prevalent at low or medium intensity.

The scientists will use the Airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and photographic data acquisition and processing system for geomorphological and structural studies. The one-month study will focus on the tectonic activities around the Warna and Koyna dams.

1000-MW Karcham Wangtu unit still awaits repairs

The closure of the 1,000-MW Karcham Wangtu hydroelectricity project due to profuse water leakage from the surge shaft and the water-conducting system has again raised concerns about the safety of hydroelectricity projects being constructed in the private sector.

It has also underlined the need for putting in place an effective mechanism for the proper monitoring of projects during the course of construction. The project was closed for urgent repairs last month after the Directorate of Energy issued a notice to the Jaypee Company to rectify the defect as continuous leakage would not only aggravate the problem, but could cause damage in the areas downhill as well.

This is a compilation of dams in the country prepared by the Central Water Commission as per information received from the owners of the dams.

A five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court today declined to accept any fresh material other than what has been submitted by the expert panel on the controversial Mullaperiyar Dam row bet

Heavy rainfall leading to flash floods in Himalayan rivers in July-end devastated three states — Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. It claimed 34 human lives and damaged property extensively. It also brought into focus the precarious condition of more than a dozen dams in the region.

Within just one week, starting August 1, these states received about half the rainfall they receive over an entire year—Uttarakhand received 44.6 per cent of its annual rainfall; Himachal 51.8 per cent and Jammu and Kashmir 55.6 per cent. Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand’s Garhwal region was the worst hit. The Bhagirathi, flowing much above the danger mark, washed away houses, hotels, roads and bridges. Nineteen labourers working on the Assi Ganga hydropower project in Uttarkashi were swept away by the river which they were trying to harness.

GUWAHATI: In a writ petition to the Supreme Court filed recently, the Assam Public Works, a social organization, has opposed the construction of the 2000-MW Lower Subansiri Hydro-electric Project (LSHP) on the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border and argued that the LSHP would not only destroy the lives and properties of the people living in the downstream areas of the dam but also the ecology.

Based on the writ petition of APW, Justice S Kumar and Justice SJ Mukhopadhya of the country’s apex court have issued a notice to the NHPC Ltd and other concerned government departments to give a reply against the APW petition within two weeks.

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