Managing dams

PUNJAB is in the throes of devastating floods caused by the release of excess water from Bhakra and Pong dams. Heavy rain in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, particularly in the catchment area of the two dams, has led to this perilous situation. Questions are being raised about the discharge of water: Has it been well-timed and well-regulated? Could pre-emptive action have reduced the damage? The floods have turned the spotlight on the Dam Safety Act, 2021, which has provisions for surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of dams so as to ensure their safe functioning and prevent dam failure-related disasters. According to the Act, all dam owners — usually state governments and Central/state public sector undertakings — are supposed to establish a well-designed hydro-meteorological network and inflow forecasting system, besides an emergency warning system for probable flood-affected areas downstream of the dam. Every owner of a specified dam is expected to prepare an emergency action plan before allowing the initial filling of the reservoir and update it at regular intervals.

It is apparent that things have spun out of control because neither risk assessment studies have been carried out regularly nor has the action plan been implemented effectively. Flawed reservoir management had played a critical role in aggravating the Kerala floods in July-August 2018. The thumb rule of ensuring that the reservoirs are filled up only closer to the end of the monsoon was allegedly given the go-by.

Dams, famously described by Jawaharlal Nehru as the temples of modern India, have the potential to help moderate floods in downstream areas, provided that these vital national assets are used judiciously to minimise human and economic losses. At the same time, the environmental impact of hydroelectric power projects needs to be closely monitored. Hydropower might be an important source of renewable energy, but the perils associated with its generation cannot be brushed aside.