This document discusses environmental flows in Indian rivers and the challenges associated with their implementation. It notes that 9 of the 30 most biodiverse river basins globally are located in India due to extensive development. Dams have fragmented rivers and arrested flows, with some rivers like the Periyar having flows completely diverted. Maintaining environmental flows that consider the river's ecological needs as well as human needs is an ongoing challenge due to lack of understanding, data, and prioritization of development over environmental protection. The document calls for improving legal frameworks, objective setting, community involvement, and adaptive management to better protect rivers in India through environmental flows.

1. ‘Environmental flows in the Indian
Context: Prospects and Challenges'

2. Out of 30 world river basins marked as global level priorities for the protection of
aquatic biodiversity nine are from India due to their extensive and continuing
development. These basins include Cauvery, Ganges-Brahmaputra, Godavari,
Indus, Krishna, Mahanadi, Narmada, Pennar and Tapi. With an exception of
Ganges-Brahmaputra, all the above basins have also been categorized as
“strongly affected” by flow fragmentation and regulation.

3. Arrested and diverted flows !
• Periyar basin – flows completely diverted by dams
• Sutlej basin – 60 km river length to be destroyed by Luhri Hydro
electric project in already dammed river (The head race tunnel of Luhri
project will bypass over 50 km length of the river + 6.8 km long
reservoir )
• Ravi basin - When all four hydro electric projects in 70 km stretch
between Chambal and Kajoli get commissioned just 3 km of the river
would flow through original river bed
• Teesta basin in Sikkim – If Teesta IV ( 520 MW) sanctioned last free
flowing stretch of Teesta ( 10 km downstream + 4. 37 km reservoir )
will be lost forever

4. Flow Regulation
• Lower Demwe 1750 MW - Lohit sub basin of
Brahmaputra river in Arunachal Pradesh - the flow lean
season to fluctuate between 1729 cumecs during peak
generation and 35 - 70 cumecs during non – generation
hours on a daily basis
( Dr. Azad Rehmani ‘s report on Lower Demwe HEP )
• Proposed 163 MW Athirappilly HEP – will create daily
flow fluctuation of 1 : 17 impacting downstream riparian
islands and major irrigation project operations

5. Flow is The ‘MASTER VARIABLE’
Flows decide the fate of the river – ecological, evolutionary,
morphological, socio – cultural, continuity from source to
sea
• Dams are direct modifiers of flows
• Dam cascades fragment ecological continuity and
integrity, aquatic habitats
• Inland fisheries declining – ‘severe and drastic changes in
the entire hydrological cycle of the river by dams and
water abstractions has affected recruitment of most
species, especially large carps, which like flowing water’
CIFRI

6. Environmental Flows
A river’s right vs apportioning flows
What is the right perspective ?
 A river’s right to flow – ‘Who are we to decide how much water should be
allocated for environmental needs, or the evolutionary and ecological
needs of rivers?’ Prof Iyer 2005
 Allocation of flow regime for ecological and livelihood needs where
there are competing water needs and regulated flows
 River basin perspective – water to be left for the environment from first
order stream till river reaches sea for entire river basin
 E flows is ultimately a compromise – can only maintain the ecological
function of river to a certain desired state as close as possible to the
natural flow regime
 A societal judgment and a trade off .

7. E flows Assessment - Approaches
Objective Setting – Prescriptive approach
Geomorphologic, ecological, socioeconomic and cultural objectives of the
river first established by expert groups
and then river flow regime established
– WWF India’s E-Flows Assessment in
Upper Stretch of river Ganga
Scenario based setting – Interactive
approach - Several scenarios of flow
regimes / flow allocations examined
and the best option is arrived at

8. E flows In India – a procedural
requirement
• Building Block Methodology ( BBM ) – an objective based prescriptive
approach widely accepted and used in EIA and CIA studies in India
• BBM - Some flow components within hydrological regime of a river
considered more important than others for maintenance of riverine
ecosystem
Reality in India
• Does not involve community consultations
• Socio cultural needs of people not included
• Do not take entire stretch of the river
• Connectivity between river and riparian and flood plains missed out

9. E flows in India - Challenges
• Lack of understanding of the river as an ecosystem in itself
• Proper understanding of ecological limitations of hydrological
alterations (ELOHA) lacking
• Lack of reliable data base on rivers especially the linkages
between flow regime and ecological processes
• Correct interpretation of e flows lacking - E flows interpreted
as ‘minimum flows’ by MoWR and as ‘minimum
environmental flows’ by MoEF
• Present approach of e flows for justifying maximum extraction
of water should be replaced by flows as close to natural
regime – aim for the best

10. Objective setting of E flows very critical
• Clarity in setting of objectives needed – the ecological, socio –
cultural, livelihood needs to be met need to be made clear before
assessing the e flows
• Should be open to change over time
• No uniform norms for all rivers
• Who sets the objectives is very important – river dependent
communities do not have significant role in decision making
• A democratic consultative decision making process of setting
objectives needed

11. Challenges
• Norms for developed and heavily degraded river basins to be
different from those for relatively un disturbed basins
• E flows is not a technical process alone - People using river
should know why so much flows should be left , realise and
accept their importance
• Adaptive management should form integral part of any
agreement with clear clause that downstream flow
allocations are liable to change if community based
monitoring of e-flows so suggest
• Importance of protecting rivers and improving flows as a
climate change adaptation strategy

12. Legal and Policy aspects
Can we have a comprehensive law to protect rivers ?
• Make e flows legally mandatory for dammed rivers
• Reservoir operations strategy to improve downstream flows
• Ecological criteria for arriving at minimum distance
between dams to be made legally mandatory
• Protection of free flowing rivers/ stretches of rivers/
tributaries from further development
• For pristine rivers recognize and determine first user right
of the river over its flows and then decide extent of
development possible
• Monitoring and compliance of e- flows allocated

13. Larger Challenge
• Allowing water for the environment is also a political
decision or choice in India rather than a purely eco –
hydrological allocation.
• Extent of Ecological literacy among politicians,
technocrats and bureaucracy ?
• Convincing all the concerned including the political
entities that ‘Everybody loses in the long term if eflows are denied for short term political gains of a
few’

14. Towards reviving our rivers……
Latha Anantha,
With inputs from Shripad Dharmadikary, Dr. Partha Jyoti Das, and Samir
Mehta, International Rivers,
Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India – e flows team