(The Gist of PIB) Symposium on Sustainable Development of Dams and River Basins inaugurated

(THE GIST OF PIB) Symposium on Sustainable Development of Dams and River Basins inaugurated

It is being organised by International Commission on Large Dams in collaboration with Central Water Commission (CWC), Dam Rehabilitation Improvement Project (DRIP) and National Hydrology Project (NHP).
It aims to share ideas and latest developments in construction technologies, best engineering
practices, dam safety issues etc.

Issues with dams in India:

India is ranked 3rd in the world in terms of building large dams. Many dams have reached 50 years of age and some are older than 120 years.
• As dams age, soil replaces the water in reservoirs reducing their storage capacity.
Studies show that design of many of reservoirs is flawed (both large and minor dams).

Steps initiated so far:

DRIP: To improve safety and operational performance of large dams and institutional strengthening launched in 2012 by Ministry of Jal Shakti (CWC) with World Bank assistance.
Dam Safety Bill 2019: It aims to put regulatory mechanism in place, to provide for proper surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of all dams in India.
NHP: To improve extent, quality and accessibility of water resources information and to strengthen the capacity of targeted water resources management institutions in India.
Dam Health and Rehabilitation Monitoring Application (DHARMA).