Afghanistan signs $160 million renewable energy deal with US, Turkey and India

Solar and wind power projects will be developed in Kabul, Balkh and Herat provinces

Afghanistan imports 1,200 megawatts of energy from Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan

KABUL: Solar photovoltaic and wind power projects signed by Afghanistan under a $160 million international deal on Wednesday evening will add 110 megawatts to the country’s grid in the next 16 months, officials said.

The projects will be developed in Kabul, Balkh and Herat by a local company with partners from Turkey, India and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).[Readmore]

Sixty Years of the Indus Waters Treaty and How It Survived Many a Fraught Moment

A little over 60 years ago, on September 19, 1960, the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) was signed between India and Pakistan to share waters from the Indus rivers system (IRS).

After years of negotiations between representatives from India and Pakistan, which were mediated by the World Bank, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru went to Karachi, the then capital of Pakistan to sign the Indus Waters Treaty along with the Pakistani head of state, General Ayub Khan. The vice president of the World Bank, W.A.B. Iliff also signed the document.[Readmore]

World Rivers Day: Some Amazing Facts on the Mighty Streams Flowing Across India

Every year, September 27 is marked as the World Rivers Day in order to raise awareness and promote conservation of the rivers around the world. The day also emphasises the need to focus on the health of the rivers, as they are the greatest sources of freshwater on the planet.

India is a land of nine great rivers, which serve as lifelines for billions of people. Among all, the Ganga is one of the largest flowing rivers in the country, while the other mighty rivers include the Godavari, Krishna, Brahmaputra, and Indus.[Readmore]

Jaipur’s Ramgarh Dam issue raised in the Parliament

New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) Expressing her concern over the plight of Ramgarh Dam during Zero Hour in the Parliament, MP Diya Kumari said that the Ramgarh Dam which was recognised as the only source of drinking water in Jaipur and the surrounding area has dried up.

There was a time when the dam had 64-feet of water and in 1982, the rowing events of the Asian Games also happened here. But after this, due to the negligence of the administration, the number of encroachments started to increase in the catchment area of the dam and the water stopped coming in. Today the situation is such, that there is not even a single drop of water here, she said on Wednesday.[Readmore]

C''garh dam breach destroys crops on 50 hectares, 2 suspended

Korba, Sep 25 (PTI) Crops on 50 hectares of land were destroyed in Chhattisgarh''s Koriya district after a dam breach flooded the area, prompting the state government to suspend two water resources department personnel, officials said on Friday.

There were no reports of loss of life in the damage caused to a portion of Khada Reservoir, built in Baikunthpur, in 1978, an official said..

"The incident happened on Wednesday morning. Crops on 50 hectares in three villages were destroyed after a flood- like situation was created," an official said.

Koriya Collector SN Rathore said the incident was a result of negligence on the part of the water resources department and a three member probe committee had been set up. [Readmore]

Water-flow in Stanley Reservoir of Coimbatore reaches 100 feet

With the onset of rains, dams are getting filled up in southern India. “The water level has reached 100 feet as against its full reservoir capacity of 120 feet exactly at 12 noon,” said PWD officials. The inflow of water was at 35,000 cusecs and the discharge was affirmed at 20,000 cusecs for delta irrigation, while the discharge through canals was 850 cusecs on Friday morning. The dam’s water level, which reached at 89.77 feet on September 21, rose up to reach 100 feet within the last four days following heavy discharge from Karnataka.[Readmore]

CWC revises rule curve of hydel damsIDUKKI: 

The central water commission has revised the rule curve of hydel dams in the state. The shutter gates of the Idukki reservoir will be opened when the water level reaches 2,373ft on June 10. It was 2,339.7ft on Friday. According to a KSEB official, the CWC decreased the rule curve while considering the chances of flood. A blue alert will be issued four feet below the rule level(2,369ft) and an orange alert will be issued 2ft below the rule level (2,371ft) and the red alert will be issued 1ft below the rule level, the official said KSEB will also conduct a trial run of the sirens at the Cheruthoni dam on June 2 and 3 . [Readmore]

Yediyurappa offers bagina to Cauvery, Kapila rivers

Mysuru / Mandya: Days after the major dams in the Cauvery basin reached their maximum capacity, chief minister B S Yediyurappa on Friday offered puja and bagina to Cauveryand Kapila rivers at KRS and Kabini dams respectively.

The CM thanked gods for the bounty, which he said will help the farming community. This is the fifth time Yediyurappa has offered bagina to the rivers.

He said the government is committed to implement the Mekedatu dam project while he announced Rs 8.48 crore funds to replace the16 crest gates of KRS dam. “Our government is focusing on irrigation projects across the state and have spent Rs 74,000 crore on 28 irrigation projects,” he said. [Read more]

Rajasthan CM bats for drip irrigation system

Jaipur, Sep 17 (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday asked the water resources department to implement new irrigation projects in the state by using drip irrigation system. 

In a statement, he said every drop of water should be saved due to its limited availability for irrigation and drinking.

He was addressing a review meeting of the water resources department at his residence. 

"The Agriculture Department, Horticulture Department and Water Resources Department should coordinate meetings to ensure the benefit of drip irrigation and sprinkler methods in the ongoing projects in the department. The projects should be completed in a time bound manner," Gehlot said.

It was told in the meeting that compared to previous years, Rajasthan received 24 per cent more water from Ravi-Beas rivers and 9 per cent more water from Sutlej and double from Yamuna this year.

The CM also directed the water resources department to coordinate with the Punjab government and take action to obtain water as per the inter-state agreement.

"With the re-lining of works, the Indira Gandhi canal system will get water in the prescribed capacity and the common people of 10 districts of western Rajasthan will benefit," the statement said. [Readmore]

Work on dam likely to be completed in 2 years: Minister

GAYA: The proposed rubber dam on the Falgu near Vishnupad Temple in Gaya, for which the state cabinet approved Rs 226 crore on Tuesday, will be the first of its kind anywhere in north India.

The country’s first rubber dam was constructed on river Jhanjhavathi in Andhra Pradesh in 2006.

According to Gaya Town MLA and agriculture minister, Prem Kumar, the new dam, work on which is likely to be completed in two years, will help the pilgrims perform salvation-related rituals and get fresh water for ‘tarpan’ (water obeisance) easily. [Readmore]

At least 24 out of India’s 123 reservoirs are full: Central Water Commission

Situation precarious for Karnataka and Maharashtra, where ‘heavy’ to ‘very heavy’ rainfall is predicted in some parts; five dams in both states are full

    At least 24 reservoirs out of the 123 monitored by the Central Water Commission (CWC) were 100 percent full. Eight of the reservoirs were located in Maharashtra, five in Karnataka, two each in Jharkhand, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana, with one each in Odisha and Rajasthan, according to a bulletin released by CWC September 10, 2020.

The situation was precarious for Karnataka and Maharashtra, where the India Meteorological Department predicted ‘heavy’ to ‘very heavy’ rainfall in some parts. At least five dams in both states were 100 per cent full, with the CWC advising a close watch. Dam authorities must be careful in releasing this water and not wait till the last moment, the CWC advised. [Readmore]

Fund shortage: Gosikhurd dam delayed further, revised deadline 2024

The irrigation department’s request for higher allocation of funds for the project has not been accepted. In the two-day monsoon session, supplementary demands failed to accommodate the financial demand for the project.

    The Gosikhurd National Irrigation Project in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra will be delayed by four years due to financial constraints. The annual allocation for the project for 2020-21 made by the state government is just Rs 500 crore against a requirement of Rs 1,500 crore. Another hurdle in the way is the 50 percent shortage of employees deployed for project work. As a result, the deadline for the completion of the project has been revised from 2021 to 2024. [Readmore]

Sardar Sarovar dam water submerges Narmada valley

BHOPAL: Following heavy rains in the Narmada catchment area and the opening of sluice gates of the big dams on the river, the valley is again facing large-scale submergence, affecting thousands of villagers, who are awaiting compensation.

A large number of people still live in the villages across the Narmada valley where water is dangerously rising. Though Sardar Sarovar project dam gates were opened, the amount of water reaching the dam is more than the water being released from the mighty reservoir. Villagers said that on August 31, the height of the water stood at 134.56 metres and submerged thousands of acres of land. Last year, Gujarat had filled the dam to a height of 138.68 metres and a large number of villagers were shifted to tin sheds. [Readmore]

Mild intensity earthquake in Maharashtra's Satara

An earthquake measuring 2.6 on the Richter Scale hit the Koyna region in Satara district of Maharashtra on Tuesday morning.

An earthquake of 2.6 magnitude hit the Koyna dam region in Maharashtra's Satara district on Tuesday morning, an official said.

There was no report of any casualty or damage to property, the official from the district administration said.

"The 2.6 magnitude quake occurred at 7.16 am and its epicentre was eight km from the Koyna dam," he said. [Readmore]

India’s tallest dam ft. Hyundai Venue – Pride of India

For the third instalment of the Pride of India series, we headed towards the mountains of Uttarakhand with the Hyundai Venue to experience the enormity of India’s tallest dam.

HIGHLIGHTS

The third part of the Pride of India series takes us in the Hyundai Venue to Tehri Dam, a modern engineering marvel and the tallest dam in India.

Tehri Dam boasts a power generation capacity of 1000MW feeding power grids in Delhi, Uttarakhand, UP, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, J&K and more areas. The dam also aids irrigation, supply of drinking water as well as helps in flood control.

The Venue we had for company was the 1.0 Turbo petrol with 7-speed DCT variant. [Readmore]

Award for Jharkhand check-dam

The water harvesting structure has become a game-changer among small and marginal farmers who earlier had to depend on only rainfall for kharif crops.

A low-cost check dam model to retain water for irrigation in Jharkhand’s rebel-hit Khunti district has fetched an award of excellence from the Union Jal Shakti ministry.

The award for the bori bandh project through community participation in the participatory water management category was presented to Khunti deputy commissioner Shashi Ranjan at the National Water Innovation Summit 2020 held on a virtual platform in Delhi on Friday.

The award was given by Jal Shakti ministry secretary U.P. Singh. [Readmore]