Uppada coast continues to face erosion threat

Research body recommends erecting 5 km sea wall

Erosion on the Uppada coast in East Godavari district has been a major concern for a long time, and continues to be a threat to the vegetation and the fisherfolk habitat.

A decade ago, a geo-tube was installed along the 1.5 km coastline to prevent erosion. However, hit by repeated cyclones and high tidal waves, the geo-tube has mostly been destroyed. As a result, erosion has eaten up several houses, roads and acres of soil of the fisherfolk habitat. It did not even spare a temple that once stood on the beach.

The Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS-Pune) has recommended erecting a five-km sea wall with five-layer geo material to arrest the erosion that is at its peak now. The ₹176 crore proposal is now under the consideration of the State government, according to sources. [Readmore]

Thottappally harbour to be upgraded to global standards

‘₹112-cr. for new breakwater on north, longer structure on south’

The State Government is planning to upgrade the Thottappally fishing harbour on a par with international standards, Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian has said.

Replying to a submission by Ambalappuzha MLA H. Salam in the Assembly on Thursday, Mr. Cherian said the department was preparing an estimate of ₹112 crore for constructing a 436-m breakwater on the northern side and increasing the length of the breakwater on the southern side, among other works.

The first phase of the harbour was completed in 2011. However, the harbour remains almost dysfunctional due to heavy silting in the harbour basin, which makes navigation an arduous task. The Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune, which conducted a study, recommended increasing the length of the breakwater on the southern side and construction of a new breakwater on the northern side to prevent the accumulation of silt.[Readmore]

Central water officials review Polavaram works

Polavaram: The officials of the Central Water and Power Research Station—scientist-E, M Selva Balan, scientist-C, JK Singh, RA from SMA division Khalil Bhagawan—visited the Polavaram project on Tuesday and observed the working of the instrumentation in the gallery. They went around to find out how many boxes were installed and how many are yet to be installed and also the working of these boxes. The CWPRS officials were accompanied by Irrigation Chief Engineer Sudhakar Babu, superintending engineer Narasimha Murthy, executive engineer Adi Reddy, DEE Rameswar Naidu, Megha Engineering vice-president Rangarajan, general manager Muddukrishna, Devmani Mishra, AGM Rajesh Kumar, manager Murali.[Readmore]

Batpady sea erosion: Ports Department to get expert advice from CWPRS

Beach erosion has intensified at Batpady despite execution of ADB-funded Someshwara Beach Rejuvenation Project.

With the Asian Development Bank-funded Someshwara Beach Rejuvenation Project coming to and end and southern parts of the stretch in Batpady getting completely eroded, the Ports Department has decided to get technical guidance from the Central Water and Power Research Station, Pune, to prevent erosion.

The ADB-funded project was active for about four years during which a special unit of the department constructed ten groynes horizontally into the sea between Uchchila and Batpady. It also constructed two offshore reefs on the Uchchila-Batpady stretch. Both these structures were intended to break the velocity of waves and help beach rejuvenation. Close to ₹240 crore was said to have been spent on this project.

While beach erosion has considerably reduced on the Uchchila stretch where the groynes and one offshore reef were constructed, it has aggravated at the Batpady stretch where one reef was constructed. Local residents had been demanding the construction of two or three more groynes towards the Kerala border, which did not happen.

Executive Engineer of Udupi Division with Ports Department, Tharakesh Phayde told The Hindu that a team from CWPRS was expected to visit Batpady stretch this month-end or during the first week of October to study the encroachment and determine the reasons. CWPRS will also be asked to evaluate the impact of the beach rejuvenation project. Once the institute submits its recommendations, the department will take necessary action, he said.[Readmore]

Brahmaputra Board inks pact with IIT-Guwahati for flood, erosion control

Guwahati, July 30: The Brahmaputra Board has joined hands with the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, for flood and erosion management in the Brahmaputra and Barak basins in Assam. The Brahmaputra Board in a press release said that its chairman and IIT-G director had a discussion during a joint visit to Majuli and both the organizations agreed to have a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of hydraulic and allied research focussed on flood and erosion management of the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers.

The North Eastern Hydraulic and Allied Institute (NEHARI), under the Brahmaputra Board, is carrying out a study for the protection of Majuli island in collaboration with IIT-G. Massive floods devastate Majuli, the world's largest freshwater river island, and erosion by the Brahmaputra takes away a large part of it. The hydraulic model laboratory of NEHARI is the second such laboratory of its kind in the country after the one at CWPRS, Pune. [Readmore]

Row as tetrapods are dumped by Bandra Bandstand without study

MUMBAI: Questions are being raised after concrete tetrapods, leftover from the coastal road-building at Haji Ali, were dumped into the sea along the Bandra Bandstand promenade without waiting for a report on the erosion of the coast from the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Khadakvasla.

In fact, the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) issued permission to shift the tetrapods two days before a planned site visit of the CWPRS. The site visit came on March 5, two days after the Mumbai Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) had given MMB the go-ahead.

TIMESVIEW

It is intriguing that the state maritime board neither waited for a report from the Central Water and Power Research Station nor conducted a deep-sea study before dumping the tetrapods at Bandra Bandstand. Government engineers appear to have only two solutions for all ills — concrete and construction. They need to work with nature to create a liveable environment. [Readmore]

India's second Physical Modelling Centre for study on flood control coming up in Bihar

PATNA: India's second Physical Modelling Centre (PMC) is being set up at Veerpur in Bihar's Supaul district by the Water Resource Department (WRD) for carrying out research on flood control and their related wings.

The proposed centre will be equipped with all the latest technology-based systems to facilitate study and research on floods and river flow trend amongst experts from across the country.

After the PMC becomes operational, the state's WRD will save money and time on schemes related to flood control in the Kosi and anti-erosion works.

On Friday, Minister of Bihar's Water Resource Department Sanjay Kumar Jha, accompanied by principal secretary of WRD Sanjeev Hans and others, visited the spot to take stock of work done so far for setting up the Physical Modelling Centre.

Sources said that the PMC at Veerpur is being set up on the basis of CWPRS in Pune.

The need for this centre was realised in Bihar after the Kusha tragedy in 2008 to study the trend of flood erosion in Kosi, as well as other subsidy rivers of the state. [Readmore]

Rebuild Indo-Pak ties with Indus Water Treaty

Run-of-the-river dams have worked to the disadvantage of both countries. For India, hydel power projects based on the run-of-the-river dams are not cost-effective. Moreover, there is the problem of silting of the dams. The thaw in Indo-Pak ties must be carried forward by changing the clause pertaining to the type of dams that can be built. Such an amendment to the treaty will benefit Pakistan too.

Lt gen Harwant Singh (Retd)

Former Deputy Chief of Army Staff

The Indus Commissioners of India and Pakistan met in New Delhi on March 23-24. The main issue for discussion was the designs of the upcoming hydel projects on the tributaries of the Chenab river.

The Indus Water Treaty was signed by Pakistan and India at Karachi in 1960, with the World Bank being the third-party guarantor. India, being the upper riparian country to all six rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej), had the first right over the waters of these rivers. Yet, India gave to Pakistan, through this treaty, more than its due share of the waters (more than 80 per cent) of the six rivers. In addition, Pakistan got the waters of four Indian nullahs that join the Ravi. Through this largesse, India hoped to secure lasting peace with Pakistan.[Readmore]

Rubber Dam Market 2021 CAGR Status, Share, Industry Size, Top Key Players, Traders and Dealers, Marketing Channel, Future Trend & Size Prediction to 2027| Material Motion, KEYMAY Industries, Dyrhoff

LOS ANGELES, United States: The report offers an all-inclusive and accurate research study on the global Rubber Dam market while chiefly focusing on current and historical market scenarios. Stakeholders, market players, investors, and other market participants can significantly benefit from the thorough market analysis provided in the report. The authors of the report have compiled a detailed study on crucial market dynamics, including growth drivers, restraints, and opportunities. This study will help market participants to get a good understanding of future development of the global Rubber Dam market. The report also focuses on market taxonomy, regional analysis, opportunity assessment, and vendor analysis to help with comprehensive evaluation of the global Rubber Dam market.[Readmore]

China-India relations: Beijing should speed up hydropower project, Tibetan official says

Planning and environmental impact assessments for dams on Yarlung Tsangpo River ‘should be approved as soon as possible’, region’s Communist Party deputy chief says

Chairman of the development company said in November the project would help to ensure China’s ‘water resources security and homeland security’. China should accelerate plans to build a hydropower plant on a river near its disputed border with India, a senior official said at a meeting on the sidelines of the National People’s Congress.

A proposal to construct dams on the lower reaches of the 2,900km (1,800 mile) Yarlung Tsangpo River was first presented in November and is included in China’s latest

five-year plan, which was released on Friday at the ongoing legislative meeting in Beijing. The river rises in Tibet before flowing through the Himalayas and into India, where it is known as the Brahmaputra.[Readmore]

UK Space Sector Gets £1 Million Government Boost To Support International Innovation

Five new projects have been awarded a share of over £1 million of government funding to work with international partners on innovative space technology.

London: Projects to remotely probe ice on Mars to help explorers find life below the surface, a system to warn of impacts of flood risks to infrastructure based on research in India and a scheme to design UK imaging technology for a space telescope are among the new international initiatives to receive backing from the UK Space Agency’s National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP).

The funding will see UK companies and organizations working with partners such as NASA, and space agencies from Canada, Japan, and Italy. NSIP is the first fund dedicated to supporting the UK space sector’s innovation through collaborations with international partners designed to contribute to UK science, security, and prosperity.

HR Wallingford will be collaborating with the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee and the National Centre of Coastal Research (NCCR), India.[Readmore]

Marriott retaining wall prevents erosion, must stay up, says GCZMA

Panaji: Disposing of a long-standing matter, the Goa coastal zone management authority (GCZMA) recently decided that the Goa Marriott at Miramar should be allowed to keep its retaining wall. Goa Foundation had sought its demolition as a violation of CRZ norms. However, GCZMA relied on reports by the WRD and the central water and power research station (CWPRS), which functions under the Union Jal Shakti ministry.

The reports stated that the retaining wall was necessary in the anti-erosion measures being taken by the WRD from the Campal Park up to the hotel stretch of the Mandovi bank. Goa Foundation had argued that there was no need to call for the report from the CWPRS, Pune, when an earlier high court ruling in the matter had decided on its legality.[Readmore]

3-D model of Polavaram spillway passes tests

CE B Sudhakar Babu said that the model study results emerged successfully and that the modified layout report would be presented to the DDRP shortly.

VIJAYAWADA: The pending critical designs related to the spillway of Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP) will soon be sent to the Central Water Commission (CWC) as the results of the model study conducted on the 3D model of the spillway designed by Pune-based Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) on various conditions of flow of flood proved successful. On Tuesday, officials from the state led by chief engineer (PIP) B Sudhakar Babu visited Pune to see the results.

According to information, the revised layout of upstream guide bund was sent to the CWPRS after the Dam Design Review Panel (DDRP) meeting held last month as top currents were observed in the final model inspected on February 18. Guide bunds are provided for guiding the river flow past the diversion structure without causing damage to it and its approaches. Accordingly, an alternative layout drawing of rockfill guide wall and connecting channel to approach channel on left bank of upstream side spillway was submitted by the state government last month.[Readmore]

Supreme Court adjourns hearing in Mullaperiyar Dam case till March 9

The issue of the Mullaperiyar dam that exists on the Periyar river involved the ongoing water legal dispute between Tamil Nadu against the Kerala government.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing in the Mullaperiyar dam maintenance and safety issues case till March 9, after the Union of India (UOI) sought more time to file its reply in the case.

The UOI today sought more time to file its reply in the case, after which a bench of the Apex Court, headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar and also comprising Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, allowed the prayer of the UOI and deferred the hearing till March 9, Tuesday.[Readmore]

International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) Symposium on Sustainable Development of Dams & River Basins inaugurated

New Delhi: The International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) Symposium on Sustainable Development of Dams & River Basins was inaugurated by Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister for Jal Shakti as Chief Guest and Shri R.K. Singh, Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Govt. of India presided over the Opening Ceremony today.

International Commission on Large Dams(INCOLD) in collaboration with Central Water Commission (CWC), Dam Rehabilitation Improvement Project (DRIP) and National Hydrology Project (NHP) is organising Symposium on “Sustainable Development of Dams and River Basins” under the aegis of ICOLD at New Delhi as Hybrid event from 24th – 27th February 2021. More than 300 delegates from across the country and abroad will participate in the Symposium.[Readmore]

DRC, India to resume talks on stalled Katende dam & hydroelectric project

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is set to resume talks with its Indian counterpart on the possibilities of the recommencement of the implementation of the stalled Katende dam & hydroelectric project in the province of Kasaï-Central, in the Central African country.

This was revealed by Eustache Muhanzi, the DRC’s Minister of Hydraulic Resources and Electricity after visiting the site of the project and seeing the state of the equipment installed before the construction works came to a standstill approximately 4 years ago.[Readmore]

India hosting global dam experts meet in backdrop of Uttarakhand flash floods

The Uttarakhand tragedy earlier this month has once again raised the spectre of hydropower projects in the ecologically fragile regions.

NEW DELHI: India is hosting a high-level meeting of the Paris-headquartered International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD). This symposium of experts on dams, to end tomorrow, comes in the backdrop of one of the worst human and ecological tragedy following a glacier burst and flash floods in Uttarakhand.

The incident earlier this month has renewed concerns over hydropower projects in the ecologically fragile and earthquake-prone Himalayan region.[Readmore]

Bureaucratic Reshuffle: 13 secretaries get new postings in major rejig

In a major bureaucratic reshuffle at the Centre, 13 Secretaries have been transferred and posted to different Ministries and departments while several senior civil servants have been promoted.

New Delhi: In a major bureaucratic reshuffle at the Centre, 13 Secretaries have been transferred and posted to different Ministries and departments while several senior civil servants have been promoted.

Deepak Khandekar gets the charge as Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

Khandekar, a 1985-batch Madhya Pradesh cadre officer, is currently working as Secretary in Ministry of Tribal Affairs. He will replace his batchmate C Chandramouli of Tamil Nadu cadre.

Besides Khandekar, his batchmate Upendra Prasad Singh has been appointed Secretary in the Ministry of Textiles. Presently, Singh is serving as Secretary in the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the appointments on Saturday through an order.[Readmore]

Andhra Pradesh: Polavaram project designs may get panel’s nod today

AMARAVATI: In what could be a major development, the Dam Designs Review Panel (DDRP) is all set to finalise Polavaramproject designs.

DDRP, headed by former Central Water Commission (CWC) chairman AB Pandya, is holding the crucial session on Saturday to review and stamp its nod on the designs submitted by the project contractor Mehga Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) through the state irrigation department. The panel members inspected the project works on Friday.

The review panel consists of YK Handa, former chief engineer, CWC, DP Bhargava, former director, NHPC, Polavaram project chief engineer, chief engineer (designs), CWC, chief engineer (HSO), CWC and chief engineer (designs), irrigation department of the state government.

The elite panel of water, power and irrigation engineers had already examined the designs of the project readied in 3-D mode at Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) in Pune before arriving at the project.

The clearance of the final designs of the project is crucial to take the project to the next phase. The panel is examining the designs readied by the irrigation department based on project outflows from the spillway.

The project contractor Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) constructed the model design in about one acre space in CWPRS in Pune and presented the model to the DDRP members.[Readmore]

Andhra Pradesh: Polavaram project sample designs to be examined in Pune on February 18

A team of experts from the Central and State Water Resources Departments has decided to finalize key designs based on the consequences of pumping high pressure water into the Polavaram project spillway. As part of this, a 3-D-acre model at the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) in Pune will be examined on the 18th of this month. A team of experts led by former chairman of the Central Water Board (CWC) AB Pandya, DDRP (Dam Design Review Panel), Polavaram Project Authority (PPA), State Water Resources Department ENC C. Narayana Reddy and others will travel to Pune. Experiments by a team of CWPRS officials on the model Polavaram project will evaluate their results. Based on these analyses, the Polavaram Reservoir works will be examined at the field level on 19th, 20th and 21st of this month and the pending designs will be finalized and sent to the CWC for approval.[Readmore]

Construction of 52 pillars on the spillway of Polavaram project over

For the spillway bridge, the company had completed laying of 45 slabs while the work on laying three more slabs are nearing completion

Vijayawada: The construction of 52 pillars of 52-metre-high on the spillway of Polavaram irrigation project was completed, said Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited.

The company, which has taken up the execution of Polavaram project, said that they had completed the construction of 52 pillars at a height of 52 meters each on the spillway by Thursday and claimed that their works were hindered in the last year due to heavy rains and floods and outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.[Readmore]

Uttarakhand glacier burst: At least 50 missing, two dams damaged

About 50 labourers who were working at the under-construction Rishiganga dam are said to be missing.

The water level in the Dhauliganga river rose suddenly following an avalanche near a power project at Raini village in Tapovan area of Chamoli district.(ANI via REUTERS)

At least 50 people were missing after a massive glacial burst swept through an under construction dam in Tapovan area in Chamoli district, about 300 km east of Dehradun on Sunday morning, officials said.[Readmore]

Government announces new norms for infrastructure along waterways

Inspired by the waterdrome project on Sabarmati River at the Sardar Sarovar Dam and the floating passenger jetty in Goa, the Centre is keen to encourage development of similar infrastructure across India for various purposes, including tourism.

The Sardar Patel memorial and the area around it is being developed as a major tourist attraction. Photo: PTI File

The central government has announced a set of guidelines on construction and operation of infrastructure along the country’s waterways.

Inspired by the waterdrome project on Sabarmati River at the Sardar Sarovar Dam and the floating passenger jetty in Goa, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is keen to encourage development of similar infrastructure across India for various purposes, including tourism. Till now the guidelines covering floating structures were focused on basic requirements such as safety. The new norms are an attempt to incorporate technical advancements that open up new avenues for enhanced standards.[Readmore]

BRICS Water Ministers meeting chaired by Shri. Kushvinder Vohra, Member, CWC

New Delhi: The third meeting of the committee for planning the BRICS Water Ministers meeting and the BRICS Water Forum was held under the Chairmanship of Shri. Kushvinder Vohra, Member (WP&P), CWC on Jan 28, 2021, with participants from NWDA, CGWB, and Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.

BRICS Water Ministers meeting and BRICS Water Forum is being planned to be held along with 7th India Water Week 2021 during 16th-20th Nov. 2021. During the meeting, detailed discussions were held, and planning for Sub-Themes of BRICS Water Forum, event programme, no. of participants, invitees, action required for field visit during the event, etc.[Readmore]

Why is China’s new dam a concern for India?

What is the course of the river Brahmaputra?

China is planning to build a huge dam on the river Brahmaputra. And it has raised concern in downstream countries – India and Bangladesh. What is the Chinese dam project all about and what could be its impact? Let’s find out in this Five Ws & One H...

The Brahmaputra (called Yarlung Tsangpo in China) is one of the longest rivers in the world. Starting in the Himalayas in Tibet, it enters India in Arunachal Pradesh, then passes through Assam, Bangladesh, and empties into the Bay of Bengal. The Brahmaputra, a perennial river, is the lifeline for communities living along its banks. They use it for irrigation, fisheries and inland water transport. In its lower course, the river is both an advantage and a disadvantage. On the one hand, it deposits huge quantities of fertile alluvial soil suitable for agriculture, but on the other, due to geographical and climatic conditions, it causes periodical, disastrous floods in Assam and Bangladesh.[Readmore]

Union govt completes formalities for funding 'DRIP'

Formalities completed with World Bank for funding Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project

The Union Government has completed the formalities with the World Bank for funding of the Phase II and III of the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP).

In effect, this raises hopes of the project’s implementation kicking in sometime in the coming summer.

The formalities with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which will co-fund the project, will be completed soon, allowing for the rollout of the funds.

The funding period of the two international institutions will be ten years.[Readmore]

Polavaram Irrigation Project: Dam review postponed, panel meet in January-end

While the civil works related to the project have gained momentum, there are about 30 designs pending to be approved.

VIJAYAWADA: The meeting of the dam design review panel (DDRP), which was to meet this week to discuss the approval of pending designs of various components of Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP) and other aspects, is learnt to have been pushed to a later date. The panel is likely to meet in a week or two, officials said.[Readmore]

Allegations based on erroneous interpretation of CWPRS report on impact of Pune Metro on Mutha River: Maha-Metro

A day after activists accused the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) of misleading the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the impact of Pune Metro on Mutha river in order to get clearance for an elevated 1.45 km route, the Maha-Metro said Tuesday that the allegations are based on erroneous interpretation of the Central Water Power Research Station (CWPRS)’s study report.

In a press statement, Maha-Metro said the construction work of Metro piers along the left bank of the Mutha river is being executed under the supervision of the expert committee appointed by the NGT under the divisional commissioner. The matter is sub-judice with the NGT.[Readmore]

Pune metro: Maha-Metro claims reported values of CWPRS report “far from truth”

Some activists including Rajya Sabha MP Vandana Chavan, Anu Aga, Sarang Yadwadkar held a press conference and raised a concern over rising water levels due to ongoing metro work in the Mutha river

As activist and political leaders raised concern over the flood level, Maha Metro issued a press statement on Tuesday. (HT PHOTO)

The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (Maha-Metro) blamed the media and activists for exaggerating the figures mentioned in the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) report.

Maha Metro issued the press statement on Tuesday and claimed, “The flood levels would increase very normally due to metro work, but to ensure citizens, Mahametro would present and discuss the CWPRS report with an expert committee during the forthcoming meeting under the chairmanship of divisional commissioner.”[Readmore]

CWPRS, Pune agrees to prepare feasibility report for Udupi Marina project 

UDUPI: The much touted Marina project proposed near Dariya Bahadurgad landmass off Padukere beach here received a boost with Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), Pune agreeing to prepare a feasibility report. 

In a communique to the secretary of Mangaluru based coastal development authority, CWPRS while indicating that the study will be carried out in five phases, stated preliminary estimate for the study will be around Rs 85-lakh. 

CWPRS scientists in the communique stated that the studies that will be carried out are mathematical model studies for wave tranquillity, for shoreline changes, for hydrodynamics and sedimentation as well as desk and wave flume studies for the design of breakwater and field data collection and analysis – all for the development of the Marina. Incidentally, the authority has earmarked Rs 1 crore for the proposed feasibility report. [Readmore]

Andhra Pradesh: PPA intensifies efforts for approval of pending designs of Polavaram head works 

Polavaram Project Authority (PPA), Water Resources Department officials have paid special attention to complete the Polavaram project by the deadline and making efforts to expedite the approval of 30 pending designs for the construction of the reservoir from the CWC. The studying the design. A team of PPA officials is going to Pune on Monday to look into the study and send the design to the CWC. 

The DDRP (Dam Design Review Panel) will hold a meeting at the Polavaram project and the contractor (agency), the State Water Resources Department, will approve the designs pending with the CWPRS and send them to the CWC. The government aims to complete the project within the stipulated deadline by approving the pending designs by February. It is learned that CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who inspected the works of the Polavaram project at the field level on December 14, directed the authorities to approve the pending designs by February and complete the project strategically by 2022 kharif. [Readmore]

India-China Hydropower Battle: Who Will Win?

Despite these concerns, India has a lot of potential when it comes to renewables, especially hydropower. As per the Centre for Science and Environment, the North East has the potential to switch to 100% renewable.

The year 2020 saw multiple instances of standoff between China and India, primarily in the Leh-Laddakh region. The two countries have had a stream of differences on border issues, including the North East, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh. There is speculation that the fight now has gone beyond the actual battlefield to energy infrastructure and water supply, with hydropower at the forefront.

Recently, China announced it is working on a massive hydropower project as a part of its 14th Five Year Plan (2021-25) in Medog county of Tibet. In the last week of November 2020, the president of Power Construction Corporation of China, which is a Chinese government-owned company, announced plans to develop a hydroelectric project of mammoth proportions of up to 60 Gigawatts (GW). This project will be executed on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo river, commonly known as the Brahmaputra river in India.[Readmore]

Polavaram Hydro Electric Project, Andhra Pradesh

Polavaram hydroelectric project (PHEP), also known as Indira Sagar project, is a 960MW multi-purpose project being constructed on the Godavari River near Polavaram village in the East Godavari and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh, India.

Polavaram hydroelectric project (PHEP), also known as Indira Sagar project, is a 960MW multi-purpose project being constructed on the Godavari River near Polavaram village in the East Godavari and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh, India.[Read More]

Seven check dams to be constructed across River Bhavani

Seven check dams that will help recharge groundwater and also ensure that surplus water is optimally used will be constructed across River Bhavani from Bhavani Sagar to Kalingarayan Anicut at ₹ 79.82 crore.

Water released from the dam into the river is used for irrigation purposes and also helps in recharge of wells and borewells. When the dam attains its full reservoir level of 105 feet, surplus water is released into the river that finally enters River Cauvery. Hence, there is a long-pending demand from the farmers and people for constructing check dams so that the water is stored and used during summer.[ReadMore]

Explained: On Nile, a Grand Dam divides African nations

The long-standing dispute has been a cause of concern for international observers who fear that it may increase conflict between the two nations and spill out into other countries in the Horn of Africa.

The Blue Nile flows downstream towards Sudan as cement trucks sit parked in the foreground at the site of the under-construction Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region of Ethiopia, on Wednesday, May 22, 2019. (Bloomberg Photo: Zacharias Abubeker)

Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt agreed on Sunday to resume negotiations to resolve their decade-long complex dispute over the Grand Renaissance Dam hydropower project in the Horn of Africa. The latest round of talks comes six weeks after Sudan had boycotted the ongoing negotiations.[Readmore]

National Mission for Clean Ganga completes 22 projects & sanctions 17 new projects amounting to Rs. 557.83 crores

Implementation of Coastal Management Information System (CMIS) at 2 sites, one each in Maharashtra (northern region) and Gujarat (southern region) has been awarded to CWPRS, Pune and a tripartite MoU has been signed among CWC, CWPRS and respective States (Gujarat and Maharashtra). Establishment of two no. of coastal data collection sites (Satpati-Maharashtra, NanidantiMotidanti-Gujarat) is in progress under this project.

Implementation of CMIS at 3 sites, 2 in Goa and 1 in Southern Maharashtra, work has been awarded to NIO, Goa and a tripartite MoU has been signed among CWC, NIO and respective States (Goa and Maharashtra). Establishment of three no. of coastal data collection sites (Tarkhali-Maharashtra, Benaulium-Goa, Baga-Goa) is in progress under this project.[Readmore]