Glacier burst: Did the rising number of dams in Uttarakhand trigger the disaster?

Several feared missing as glacier breaks in Uttarakhand's Joshimath. (Picture Credits: IANS)

Almost eight years after floods in Uttarakhand claimed close to 5,700 lives, around 10 people lost their lives and over 150 are missing following a glacier burst and flash floods on the Alaknanda river in the State’s Chamoli district.

A 13.2 megawatt (MW) small hydro project on the Rishiganga river was swept away in the glacier burst, which also damaged NTPC’s 520 MW Tapovan Vishnugad project.

According to media reports, the 400 MW Vishnuprayag project near Joshimath and 444 MW Peepal Koti project at Peepal Koti also faced damages.

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The incident has again raised concerns about the rising number of dams in Uttarakhand, which are allegedly harming the ecosystem.

Safety concerns

Based on data available with the Central Water Commission, there are 5,334 large dams in India, while another 411 are under construction. However, a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report in 2017 found that only 349 of these dams had disaster management plans in place. It also highlighted that Uttarakhand is among the States that had not prepared a comprehensive master plan for flood protection.

“Things have not improved in terms of dam management and flood-safety precautions in the last eight years. There is no legal framework in place to look into the structural or operational safety of dams. Even after the 2013 floods, construction of dams is going on,” said Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP).

Also Read: Uttarakhand glacier burst: Villagers raised alarm two years back

Over 75 per cent of the dams in India are more than 20 years old, which means they may require regular monitoring. What is even more alarming is the data put out by the United Nations in January 2021. The UN University’s Institute for Water, Environment and Health stated that a large number of the 59,000 dams across the world were already well past their prime period, as these dams were constructed between 1930 and 1970, and designed for a lifetime of 50 to 100 years.

The report stated that over 1,115 large dams in India will be at the 50-year mark by 2025. On the other hand, over 4,250 large dams would pass the 50-year mark, with 64 large dams being 150 years old in 2050.

Warnings ignored

Soon after the 2013 floods, a committee was set up by the Supreme Court to look into the status of dams in the State. The panel recommended that no more dams be constructed in the State. In August 2013, the Apex Court had ruled that no hydro-electric power projects should be set up in Uttarakhand. Despite the disaster, the Uttarakhand government is yet to frame a policy on hydroelectric projects and dams in the State.

“Investors should know that the era of dams is over in Uttarakhand. The higher Himalayas, where the valley bottom is at an elevation of 2,000 metres or more, are known as paraglacial zones. In this region, glaciers in the past have left behind a huge amount of debris and rocks. When there is heavy rainfall, small rivers with high slopes, such as Rishiganga (72 km), gather a lot of sediment and move it through very quickly. And when they meet a barrier, they gather more energy,” said Ravi Chopra, Director of the People’s Science Institute, who headed the Supreme Court panel, explaining the reason for the dam failure. He added that such barriers should be avoided in such areas.

The committee had warned that glacial retreat, along with the construction of dams, may lead to large-scale disasters downstream. The Union Environment Ministry had also reiterated the Chopra committee’s findings in 2016. Despite all this, dam construction has been continuing in the State.

A perfect example is the Alaknanda river, where the number of dams increased from 32 in 2013 to 37 now. NTPC’s hydropower project, which was under construction at Tapovan Vishnugad, was expected to be commissioned in 2022-23.