Submission to Karnataka Govt: Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation Strategies for Water Sector
Climate Change

Submission to Karnataka Govt: Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation Strategies for Water Sector

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Guest Article by Nirmala Gowda

Under the National Water Mission, the Government of Karnataka conducted a consultation workshop on 24 March 2026 on “Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies for the Water Sector in Karnataka.” Mapping Malnad attended the session and subsequently, along with SAPACC (South Asian People’s Action on Climate Crisis), submitted written comments on the presentation. This is a summary of our submission.
(The background image in the feature photo above is Pandri river, tributary of Kali river, Upstream of Supa Dam in Uttara Kannada District. Photo taken by the author.)

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DRP 040526: Fast spreading impacts of climate crisis
Dams, Rivers & People

DRP 040526: Fast spreading impacts of climate crisis

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(Feature Image: Binnu river a tributary of Ramganga in Deghat, Almora. SANDRP)

Interestingly, there are a number of developments this week related to climate crisis from at least four states/ Union Territories of Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, even if we do not include in these other directly or indirectly related developments. These show how fast the impacts of climate crisis across the country are spreading and the number of different sectors are increasingly getting involved in the climate crisis. All these are related to water related issues.

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Interview on Interlinking of Rivers: An idea delinked from realities
Dams

Interview on Interlinking of Rivers: An idea delinked from realities

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Q. The government has chalked out an ambitious National Perspective Plan(NPP) for Water Resource De elopement which will interlink 37 rivers whose cost will run into over Rs10 lakh crores. This scheme has been vehemently opposed by scientists and yet we see the government pushing it through. Whose brain wave is this? Your comments.

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DRP 040526: NGT acknowledges vacuous Groundwater Governance in India
DRP

DRP 040526: NGT acknowledges vacuous Groundwater Governance in India

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It is good to see this week that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has acknowledged the non-existent or vacuous groundwater governance in India at both central and state levels. It was long overdue. It took the judiciary almost three decades to realise this, since the Supreme Court order in late 1990s for setting up Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) under the 1986 Environment Protection Act.

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DRP 270426: Probe into violations by Pune River Front Development Project
Dams, Rivers & People · Urban Rivers

DRP 270426: Probe into violations by Pune River Front Development Project

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(Feature Image: Pune RFD work along Mula Mutha river. Credit: Free Press Journal)

The Maharashtra government order for a probe into the violations of the Environmental Clearance of the controversial Pune River Front Development (RFD) project is noteworthy for a number of aspects. Most importantly, it signifies a significant gain for the critiques of the project, since the probe has been ordered following a letter by environmentalist Sarang Yadwadkar, who has been relentlessly fighting against the project.

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April 2026: HTPS Fly-ash Dam Burst in Korba, Chhattisgarh
Dam floods · Fly Ash Bund Breach

April 2026: HTPS Fly-ash Dam Burst in Korba, Chhattisgarh

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(Feature Image: A JCB trapped in slurry after breach in HTPS fly ash dam in Korba, Chhattisgarh. Source: Hasdeo Express)

A JCB operator was killed after a breach in fly ash dam (Rakhad dam) near Jhabu and Nawagaon villages under Katghora tehsil of Korba district in Chhattisgarh on April 19, 2026. The fly ash dam belongs to Hasdeo Thermal Power Station (HTPS), Korba West. The power station is owned and operated by Chhattisgarh State Power Generation Company Limited (CSPGCL).

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DRP 200426: Himachal HC takes cognizance of impact of Hydro Project silt flushing on rivers
Dams, Rivers & People

DRP 200426: Himachal HC takes cognizance of impact of Hydro Project silt flushing on rivers

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(Feature Image: Pandoh dam discharging silt laden flood waters in Beas river in Aug. 2025. Source: Amar Ujala)

In a remarkable development, the Himachal High Court has taken cognizance of the impact of silt flushing from the Shanan Hydropower project in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh on the downstream fish, has fined the project Rs 12 lakhs and has ordered scientific monitoring of the future sediment discharge, only to be done after March 1 each year. The order is largely due to the fact that under the Himachal Pradesh Fisheries Act, Nov to Feb is trout breeding season. The order thus is not likely to be applicable for silt flushing by other hydropower projects. It is also good to see that the court has formed a monitoring committee and asked for compliance reports.

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DRP 130426: CAG Reveals Governance Failure in J&K Wetlands Management
Dams, Rivers & People

DRP 130426: CAG Reveals Governance Failure in J&K Wetlands Management

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(Feature Image: Cover page of CAG report on Wetlands management in J&K)

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India report is revealing official document on how systemic governance failure has failed the wetlands in Jammu and Kashmir. The fact that 518 out of 697 lakes have shrunk or disappeared, reflects on decades of ineffective policies. As per the report, the multiple departments operated in isolation with no accountability, no shared database and no management plans thus making the wetlands vulnerable to encroachment.

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Raj Naun: Can Stories Save our Springs?
Climate Change · Dams · Groundwater · Himachal Pradesh · Indus · Ravi River

Raj Naun: Can Stories Save our Springs?

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How can we drink this cool water?
For we will see you in it for all our life
Night of atonement, oh girls, oh birds.
~ Sukrat, an elegy for Queen Suhi who was sacrificed for Chamba’s water[1]

Raj Naun, the Royal Fountain House in Chamba is not what I imagined it to be. After reading and thinking about it obsessively for over a year what lies ahead is not a homage to water but a structure in ruins. The Raj Naun has vaulted ceilings, arches and two beautifully carved waterspouts to channel a robust Himalayan spring. But the spouts are dry, the chamber is full of garbage, bottles of alcohol, stacks of firewood, packets of chips lie around. There is that unmissable stench of urine.

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Chhatradi: Thirty-Six Spring Fountains of the Ravi
Groundwater · Himachal Pradesh · Himalayas · Ravi River · River Ethnographies

Chhatradi: Thirty-Six Spring Fountains of the Ravi

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“If you really want to see Panihars, you should visit Chhatradi” says the shy Aditya. He is 15 years old and studies in class X. We are standing on a busy and dusty bridge across a tributary of Ravi in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh. Beside us is the legendary Fulmutala spring fountain (Panihar). Hundreds of people come here every evening to collect cool and clear drinking water. Most have piped water supply in their homes but insist that waters of Fulmutala are peerless. Spring Fountains are a way of life in the Ravi Basin. And yet, very little is said about these beautiful places bringing together groundwater, rivers, ecology and culture.

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