Himalayan hydro developers wilfully ignore climate risks
Despite growing climate threats, politicians and developers are ignoring geological and environmental risks in a rush to make short-term profits by building hydroelectric dams in the Himalayas
Tag: hydropower
Requiem for a people’s river
The documentary film, Ho Gayi Hai Pir Parvat Si, puts the voices of the people of Himachal Pradesh, where the Sutlej River is being dammed by hydropower projects, front and centre
Locals step up protests against large Sikkim dam
Indigenous Lepchas hope they can block yet another large hydropower project in the Himalayan state of Sikkim at a UNESCO world heritage site
While the government of Sikkim is determined to convert its rivers into so-called white gold by exploiting its vast hydropower resources, indigenous Lepchas of the state hope their opposition will halt construction…Read More
China’s hydro expansion will fail without energy market reform
China must tackle shrinking demand in the energy sector before bringing more hydropower online
Energy demand in China is slowing. This is causing a major headache for the hydropower sector, which has invested heavily in new projects in recent years. The continued construction of hydropower has led to surplus capacity and tumbling profits…Read More
Melting glaciers may impact hydropower plans
The World Water Week has put the focus back into shrinking glaciers but the jury is still out on the impacts they will have on the flow in snow-fed rivers and hydropower generation
Glaciers are retreating due to climate change. What does that mean for water flow in the streams and rivers downhill? Experts say the effects are much varied…Read More
Latest News
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- Floods disrupt monsoon weddings in Bihar 13.06.22In India’s most flood-prone state, grooms are hopping into boats and onto tractors to avoid having to cancel weddings. This type of adaptation comes with risk and some cultural lossAlok Gupta
- Walking in the shadow of Madhya Pradesh’s devastating floods 02.06.22A walk along the River Sindh in central India reveals lasting damage from floods in August 2021, when unprecedented rainfall and mismanaged water reservoirs led to widespread losses for the region’s farmersAishani Goswami, Rahul Singh
- Climate change hits harvest of one of world’s priciest mushrooms in Himalayas 26.04.22Picking wild morel mushrooms brought big money to mountain villages in the Indian Himalayas. But higher spring temperatures and low rainfall may mean an end to the lucrative harvestJigyasa Mishra
- India’s banks unprepared for climate breaking points 06.04.22New analysis has found India's large lenders and state-run energy giants are doing little to reduce their mounting climate exposureLou del Bello
- Fears for farming as groundwater plummets in northern India 21.02.22Across Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, there has been an alarming rise in the number of districts categorised as ‘overexploited’Kapil Kajal
- India’s policymakers get detailed data to help manage disasters 31.01.22As disasters worsen due to climate change, a new report reveals what to expect in every district of the country in the hope of mitigating the human costsJoydeep Gupta
- Rooftop solar: The missing piece of India’s renewable ambitions 27.01.22India aimed to roll out 40 GW of rooftop solar capacity by 2022, but has not achieved a tenth of the target. This could derail the country’s dreams to be a leader on climate action.Lou del Bello
- In Bihar, women face floods and increasing violence 12.01.22As climate change increases the incidence of flooding, women in the northeast Indian state of Bihar are becoming more vulnerable to violence and traffickingShreya Raman
- Early heatwaves foreshadow uncertain future in South Asia 12.04.21As Pakistan, Bangladesh and India warn citizens of higher temperatures in early April, experts say urgent adaptation is essentialZuha Siddiqui