Experts deliberate on ways to strengthen dams safety

Over 400 delegates from across the country and abroad discussed ways to further strengthen the safety of dams during a two-day conference which 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 with over 400 delegates attending and submission of over 70 technical papers from experts within and outside India. About 40 national and overseas organisations showcased their technologies, products and services through exposition organised at the conference venue.

"The professionals from the USA, Australia, Japan, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, and Germany attended this event," an official release said.
Globally, India ranks third after China and the United States of America in terms of number of large dams with a total storage capacity of about 283 billion cubic meters.

"Close to 80 per cent of large dams have surpassed the age of twenty-five years, 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 built in an era whose design practises and safety considerations do not match with the current design standards and the prevailing safety norm," the release said.

According to the release, many dams may be experiencing distress and are in urgent need of attention for ensuring their structural safety as well as operational efficiency.
Realising the importance, 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 the 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 release said.