Threats from India's Himalaya Dams

Grumbine, R. Edward; Pandit, Maharaj K.

doi:10.1126/science.1227211

Cited by 187 publications

(109 citation statements)

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“…The Indian Himalaya is seen as a major source of India's future hydropower production, and several power plants and reservoirs are planned in the region (Grumbine and Pandit 2013). To avoid construction damages from high flows and maintenance of high sedimentation rates, these dams need to take into account the total sediment loads.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Present to future sediment transport of the Brahmaputra River: reducing uncertainty in predictions and management

et al. 2016

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The Brahmaputra River in South Asia carries one of the world's highest sediment loads, and the sediment transport dynamics strongly affect the region's ecology and agriculture. However, present understanding of sediment conditions and dynamics is hindered by limited access to hydrological and geomorphological data, which impacts predictive models needed in management. We here synthesize reported peer-reviewed data relevant to sediment transport and perform a sensitivity analysis to identify sensitive and uncertain parameters, using the one-dimensional model HEC-RAS, considering both present and future climatic conditions. Results showed that there is considerable uncertainty in openly available estimates (260-720 Mt yr -1 ) of the annual sediment load for the Brahmaputra River at its downstream Bahadurabad gauging station (Bangladesh). This may aggravate scientific impact studies of planned power plant and reservoir construction in the region, as well as more general effects of ongoing land use change and climate change. We found that data scarcity on sediment grain size distribution, water discharge, and Manning's roughness coefficient had the strongest controls on the modelled sediment load. However, despite uncertainty in absolute loads, we showed that predicted relative changes, including a future increase in sediment load by about 40 % at Bahadurabad by 2075-2100, were consistent across multiple model simulations. Nevertheless, for the future scenarios we found that parameter uncertainty almost doubled for water discharge and river geometry, highlighting that improved information on these parameters could greatly advance the abilities to predict and manage current and future sediment dynamics in the Brahmaputra river basin.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Present to future sediment transport of the Brahmaputra River: reducing uncertainty in predictions and management

et al. 2016

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“…For example, 15 low-elevation dams exist over 160 km in an Illinois river, USA (Santucci et al 2005), and over 260 RoR hydropower dams are currently under consideration in 28 of the 32 major river valleys in the Indian Himalayas (1 RoR hydropower dam per 32 km of river) (Grumbine and Pandit 2013). Multiple RoR hydropower projects in the same watershed may interact in additive, synergistic, or antagonistic ways to affect river ecosystems (e.g., increasing turbidity and decreasing invertebrate quality) (Santucci et al 2005) and salmonid populations (e.g., to alter or delay upstream fish migrations) (Larinier 2008;Lucas et al 2009).…”

Section: (3) Cumulative Impacts Of Multiple Ror Hydropower Projectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Run-of-River hydropower and salmonids: potential effects and perspective on future research

Gibeau

Connors

Palen

2017

Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

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Abstract:The spatial footprint of individual run-of-river (RoR) hydropower facilities is smaller than reservoir-storage hydroelectric projects and their impacts to aquatic ecosystems are often assumed to be negligible. However, these effects are poorly understood, especially for salmonids whose freshwater habitat often overlaps with RoR hydropower potential. Flow regulation for RoR hydropower is unique in how it influences the seasonality and magnitude of flow diversion and because low-head dams can be overtopped at high flows. Based on a review of the primary literature, we identified three pathways of effects by which RoR hydropower may influence salmonids: reduction of flow, presence of low-head dams impounding rivers, and anthropogenic flow fluctuations. We synthesized empirical evidence of effects of RoR hydropower on river ecosystems from 31 papers, of which only 10 explicitly considered salmonids. We identified key research gaps including impacts of extended low-flow periods, anthropogenic flow fluctuations, and cumulative effects of multiple RoR projects. Filling these gaps is necessary to help manage and conserve salmonid populations in the face of the growing global demand for small-scale hydropower.Résumé : L'empreinte spatiale individuelle des centrales hydroélectriques au fil de l'eau est moindre que celle des centrales hydroélectriques avec réservoirs de retenue et, en conséquence, leurs impacts sur les écosystèmes aquatiques sont souvent jugés négligeables. Par contre, leurs effets écologiques sont peu connus, particulièrement pour les salmonidés dont l'habitat en eau douce coïncide souvent avec le potentiel hydroélectrique des centrales au fil de l'eau. La régulation des eaux par les centrales au fil de l'eau se distingue par son influence sur la saisonnalité et l'ampleur de la déviation des eaux, et parce que les barrages de basse-chute peuvent être submergés lors des crues. À la lumière d'un examen des sources documentaires primaires, nous avons cerné trois voies principales par lesquelles la production d'électricité des centrales au fil de l'eau peut influencer les salmonidés, soit la réduction des débits, la présence de barrages de basse-chute sur les rivières et des fluctuations d'origine humaine des débits. Nous avons produit une synthèse des résultats empiriques de 31 études portant sur les effets de la production d'hydroélectricité des centrales au fil de l'eau sur les écosystèmes lentiques, dont seulement dix s'intéressaient explicitement aux salmonidés. Nous avons cerné d'importantes lacunes dans les connaissances actuelles, dont l'impact de périodes prolongées de faible débit, des fluctuations d'origine humaine des débits et des effets cumulatifs de plusieurs centrales au fil de l'eau. Il est nécessaire de combler ces lacunes pour soutenir la gestion et la conservation durables des populations de salmonidés dans un contexte de demande mondiale croissante pour la production d'hydroélectricité à petite échelle.

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“…Th e large-scale hydropower development is likely to result in loss of ecosystem services, natural value, and species extinctions across the Himalayas (Pandit and Grumbine, 2012). Worryingly, the dam-building activities are concentrated around dense and protected forest areas (Grumbine and Pandit, 2013). For example, Parvati and Alaknanda Hydroelectric Projects are located near two important protected areas, such as the Greater Himalayan National Park (GHNP) and Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydro Power Development and Its Impacts on the Habitats and Diversity of Montane Birds of Western Himalayas

Jolli¹

2017

Vestnik Zoologii

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Himalayas. Jolli, V. -Th e montane forest ecosystems of Western Himalayas are under severe anthropogenic pressure because of hydro-electric project (HEP) development. Several studies have highlighted downstream eff ects of HEP, but there is no information on the eff ects of HEP-building activities on upstream fauna. In particular, studies on upstream Himalayan montane ecosystems and fauna around dams are lacking. I investigated eff ects of dam-building activities on bird communities in Indian Western Himalayas. I studied the response of bird communities along a disturbance gradient with the aim to identify key factors infl uencing their distribution. I surveyed primary and secondary montane forests, agricultural lands, and dam-aff ected (disturbed) habitats. Response variables included total avifaunal and woodland species richness and abundance, which were estimated by point-count surveys. Explanatory variables included tree and shrub density, canopy cover, disturbance intensity, and elevation. Bird species richness was higher in undisturbed and lesser disturbed sites, lower in agricultural sites, and lowest in HEP-aff ected sites. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that canopy cover, shrub density, and disturbance infl uenced species distribution; woodland birds signifi cantly negatively responded to dam-building activities. Th e study has shown that dam-building activity has negatively aff ected montane birds. I propose that increasing shrub and tree cover in dam-disturbed sites would minimise losses of avian habitats.

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Threats from India's Himalaya Dams

Abstract: Ecosystem damage and population resettlements loom, owing to poor planning and impact assessments.

Cited by 187 publications

References 6 publications

Present to future sediment transport of the Brahmaputra River: reducing uncertainty in predictions and management

Present to future sediment transport of the Brahmaputra River: reducing uncertainty in predictions and management

Run-of-River hydropower and salmonids: potential effects and perspective on future research

Hydro Power Development and Its Impacts on the Habitats and Diversity of Montane Birds of Western Himalayas

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