Flood risk to Himalayan hydropower projects: Study

Glacial lakes pose flood risk to 441 hydel projects in Himalayan region

According to a study conducted by Swiss researchers, 441 hydropower projects across India, Nepal, Pakistan and China are on possible glacier lake outburst floods (GLOF) tracks and nearly one-third of these projects could experience GLOF discharges well above what these dams account for. Therefore, as per the research, hydropower projects in the Himalayan region needs extra design or safety measure. Also, researchers have ascertained that global warming could cause glaciers to melt more rapidly.

Water levels of 70 percent of monitored wells in Maharashtra dip

Despite abundant monsoon this year, 70 percent of the wells monitored by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) in Maharashtra shows a decline in groundwater levels. In 2006-2007, the state government had conducted the fourth minor irrigation census which brought to notice a four-fold increase in the number of wells and borewells in the state in less than 30 years. However, to overcome the issue of over-extraction of water, the state formulated the Maharashtra Groundwater (Development and Management) Act 2009 but a serious gap in the implementation of this law has been noticed.  

Chennai stares at severe water crisis, seeks Andhra’s help

A severe water crisis looms large over Chennai as the four reservoirs supplying water to the city are left with only seven percent of their total storage capacity and is expected to last just 25 days. The Tamil Nadu public works department has sought help from Andhra Pradesh for releasing 4 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of Krishna water. In a major relief to Chennaites, the latter has promised to provide 3 tmcft of Krishna water and has even started the release of water to the city.

HP prepares $150 million plan to restore its stressed water resources

In order to climate-proof the water resources of the state, the Himachal Pradesh government has prepared a $150 million project for managing its stressed water ecology and restoring nearly 10,000 hectares of its river basin. The state plans to seek monetary help for the project from the Green Climate Fund, an international fund under the aegis of the United Nations. The objective of the five-year project is to revive and restore the state’s productive assets like soil, water and biodiversity through active involvement of stakeholders and end-users. 

India’s water won’t flow into Pakistan: Modi

Assuring the Indian farmer, prime minister Narendra Modi has asserted that the nation will not compromise on its rights over water flowing through the Indus river. Along with this, he also stated that a task force has been formed to ensure that Indian farmers had the adequate amount of water for irrigation purposes. However, earlier this week, Pakistan had warned India against the use of water as an instrument of coercion or war and sought the aid of international community in case India is unwilling to maintain cooperation on the Indus Water Treaty. 

This is a roundup of important news from November 21-27, 2016. Also read the policy matters this week.