Experts deliberate on ways to improve dam safety

Roorkee, February 19

Over 400 delegates from across the country and abroad discussed ways to strengthen the safety of dams during a two-day conference that culminated here today.

The third National Dam Safety Conference focused on key challenges that are being encountered in the implementation of the Dam Safety Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP).

Dams have played a key role in fostering rapid and sustained agricultural and rural growth and development, which have been key priorities of the government of India since Independence.

“The conference received an overwhelming response as over 400 delegates attended it and submitted over 70 technical papers. About 40 national and overseas organisations showcased their technologies, products and services through expositions organised at the conference venue.

“The professionals from the USA, Australia, Japan, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, and Germany attended the event,” an official press note said.

Globally, India ranks third after China and the USA in terms of the number of large dams with a total storage capacity of about 283 billion cubic meters.

“Close to 80 per cent of large dams has surpassed the age of 25, and many of them face the challenges of deferred maintenance. Many of these dams are considerably old (about 170 dams exceed the age of 100 years) and were built in an era when design practices and safety considerations do not match with the current design standards and the prevailing safety norms,” the press note said.

Water Resources Ministry Secretary Amarjit Singh had yesterday inaugurated the conference organised by the Central Water Commission (CWC) along with the Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam and the IIT, Roorkee.

Many dams may be experiencing distress and are in urgent need of attention for ensuring their structural safety as well as operational efficiency.

The Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation embarked upon the six-year DRIP with World Bank assistance in 2012 having provision of comprehensive rehabilitation and improvement of 225 large dam projects in seven states of India, it said.

The project is being implemented in Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, and Uttarakhand.

Since DRIP covers only five per cent of large dams and seven states, to share knowledge and experience in dam safety areas with professionals of non-DRIP states, academician, industries as well as global experts, National Dam Safety Conferences are organised in different parts of the country as an annual event.

These conferences propagate the concepts, techniques, instruments, materials, etc. for design and construction of new dams, as well as for monitoring, surveillance, operation, maintenance and rehabilitation of existing dams.

“Sharing of knowledge, experience, innovations, novel technologies etc. by different national and overseas experts further helped in reshaping the strategies for effectively managing the uncertainties associated with dam design, construction, operation, and maintenance,” it said.

“The interactions among the participants, with the organisations showcasing their technologies and products and with the experts presenting the papers will help dam safety professionals and managements in further determining the strategies for improved monitoring, operation and maintenance and rehabilitation of dams.

“The key recommendations emerging from the deliberations of the conference will be circulated to stakeholders as well as policy makers for implementation,” the press note said. — PTI