Centre forms panel to study Yamuna flood management

The committee has been tasked to identify possible drainage congestion in Delhi in case of high spate in the Yamuna.

 

 
The panel headed by the Central Water Commission (CWC) chairman will also review the utility and functional requirement of the ITO barrage, a bone of contention between Haryana and Delhi governments. According to a letter sent by the Union ministry of Jal Shakti (flood management wing) to the Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi governments, the committee has been tasked to identify possible drainage congestion in Delhi in case of high spate in the Yamuna. (HT File Photo)

After water levels of the Yamuna river broke the 45-year record and caused floods in Delhi in July, the Union government has constituted a committee to conduct a “joint flood management study” of the river from Hathnikund in Haryana to Okhla barrage with a six-month deadline to submit the report.[Readmore]

Bhakra creates new power generation record in July   

   The Bhakra power house has surpassed previous records of daily power generation and shattered the record of maximum instantaneous power generation in July 2023.
    The Bhakra power house has surpassed previous records of daily power generation and shattered the record of maximum instantaneous power generation in July 2023.

    Addressing the gathering during the “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” celebration hosted by Bhakra Dam Outreach Programme on Monday at Bhakra Dam, Sharma urged employees to continue their efforts towards progress.
    The Bhakra Outreach programme was organised by the Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Jal Shakti, in collaboration with National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) at Bhakra Dam to promote dam tourism and raise awareness about the importance of effective water resource management.[Readmore]

Vice President To Confer 4th National Water Awards On 17th June, 2023

Ministry Of Jal Shakti Announces 41 Winners Across 11 Categories

Prize For Best State To Be Conferred On Madhya Pradesh While Best District Will Be Conferred On Ganjam District, Odisha

The Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar will confer the 4th National Water Awards on 17th June, 2023 at an award distribution ceremony being organised at Plenary Hall, Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi by the Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD &GR), Ministry of Jal Shakti. The Department has announced a total of 41 winners, including joint winners, for the 4th National Water Awards, 2022, covering 11 categories. Each award winner will be conferred with a citation and a trophy as well as cash prizes in certain categories.
    The 1st Prize for the Best State will be conferred on Madhya Pradesh; Best District will be conferred on Ganjam District, Odisha; Best Village Panchayat will be conferred on Jagannadhapuram Village Panchayat, Bhadradri Kothagudem district, Telangana; Best Urban Local Body will be conferred on Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh; Best Media will be conferred on Advance Water Digest Private Limited Gurugram, Haryana; Best School will be conferred on Jamiyatpura Primary School, Mehsana, Gujarat; Best Institution for Campus usage will be conferred on Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Reasi, Jammu and Kashmir; Best Industry will be conferred on Barauni Thermal Power Station, Begusarai, Bihar; Best NGO will be conferred on Arpan Seva Sansthan, Udaipur, Rajasthan; Best Water User Association will be conferred on the Sanjeevani Piyat Sahkari Mandli Ltd, Narmada, Gujarat; and Best Industry for CSR Activities will be conferred on HCL Technologies Ltd., Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Click here to see the list of Awardees for 4th National Water Awards, 2022 [ReadMore]

A model water-sharing treaty signed by the then Indian Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru and Pakistani President Ayub Khan, the Indus Water Treaty was negotiated by the World Bank in 1960.

Srinagar: The government on Friday directed senior officials in Jammu and Kashmir to complete works on all Indus Basin Projects to enable "better utilisation" of India's rights under the Indus Water Treaty, an official statement said.

The statement from Pankaj Magotra, Managing Director of the Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Corporation (JKPDC), which operates and maintains all power stations and power projects in the region, said that a meeting was held in Srinagar. The meeting was chaired by Vikram Misri, India's Deputy National Security Advisor, who reviewed the progress on hydropower projects in the Union territory.

"It was noted that progress had been made on several fronts, and emphasis was laid on completing the works on all the Indus Basin Projects in a timely manner to enable better utilization of India's rights under the Indus Waters Treaty," he said.[ReadMore]

 

Penalty for cess? Union govt letter intensifies Himachal vs Haryana-Punjab tussle over hydel project levy

Chandigarh: Amid the ongoing tug-of-war over water cess on hydropower projects between Himachal Pradesh on one side, and Haryana and Punjab on the other, a letter from the Union Ministry of Power “disincentivising” states imposing such cess has further intensified the tussle.

Himachal CM tries to mollify counterparts

On 16 March, while moving the Himachal Pradesh Water Cess on Hydropower Generation Bill, 2023, in the assembly, the state Jal Shakti Department Minister and Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri said that the cess will generate Rs 4,000 crore revenue from 172 hydroelectric projects.[ReadMore]

 6 hydel power projects apply for water cess in Himachal 

Sixteen of the state's 172 hydroelectric power projects have applied for the implementation of a water cess. Last month, the Jal Shakti Department sent letters to 172 hydroelectric power projects, requiring them to register with it for the purpose of water cessation within a month.

The implementation of the cess has been challenged in the Himachal High Court by two commercial electricity firms.

The Central Government in its letter also stated that “Article 287 and 288 of the Constitution prohibits the imposition of taxes on electricity consumed by the Central Government or sold to the Central Government”. [ReadMore]
 

Mallannasagar earthquake theory baseless, says Telangana govt

    According to the irrigation department, all the necessary studies has been done before starting the project in Siddipet.

    Mallannasagar was inaugurated by the state chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao last Wednesday. The project, according to the state government, will provide water to 8.35 lakh acres of new ayacut under KLIS Package-12 to 19, along with stabilising the ayacut under existing irrigation projects such as Singur, Nizam Sagar and Sriram Sagar phase-1, which will propel the total ayacut under the project to 15.71 lakh acres.

Officials refute claims of earthquake

    According to a Telangana Today report, the officials said that earthquake theory was a baseless allegation. The government had the bottom strata of Mallannasagar studied by the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) in Pune, which ruled out the existence of lineaments, as stated by opponents.[Readmore]