Urgent Need for Dam Safety

Context

The Supreme Court of India recently called on other interested parties to give urgent directions to strengthen the deteriorating structure of the 130-year-old Mullaperiyar dam.

Key Highlights

• The Mullaperiyar Dam is a gravity dam constructed on the Periyar River in Idukki District, Kerala, and was built between 1887 and 1895.
• Tamil Nadu operates and maintains the dam under a 999-year lease of the dam in an agreement signed between the Maharaja of Travancore and the British government in 1886.
• India is the third largest country in the world (after China and the United States) concerning large dams. The National Register of Large Dams (NRLD) which is maintained by the Central Water Commission (CWC) lists more than 6,000 large dams operating and hundreds more underway in India.
• The dams play critical roles in irrigation (to sustain agriculture in a large territory); hydropower generation, flood management, and drinking water.
• Depending on the topography, geology, and hydrology requirements, there are concrete gravity dams (e.g., Bhakra Dam), earthen dams (e.g., Banasura Sagar Dam), rock-fill dams and arch dams (uncommon in India).

Why is Dam Safety Urgent?

• Aging Infrastructure: Approximately 80 percent of such dams are older than 25 years and there are over 1,000 dams that are older than 50 to 100 years, and over 230 that are more than 100 years.
  • Others have been constructed with old fashioned engineering requirements and are currently susceptible to structural fatigue, sedimentation, and stresses caused by climate.
  • It is a life threatening, asset threatening and ecosystem threatening condition particularly during climate change and extreme weather conditions.
• Weak Safety Practices: The policies of safety of the dams differ among states and agencies creating loopholes in surveillance, inspection, and maintenance.
  • The Central Government has been striving to standardize these practices by the Dam Safety Act, 2021, and establishment of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA).
• Possibility of Disastrous Collapse: Incidents such as dam breakage as a result of a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) highlight the need to implement stringent safety measures.
  • The Supreme Court has constantly raised questions towards the dams such as Mullaperiyar and has said that the release of water may pose a threat to lakhs of lives.

Legal and Institutional Framework

• Dam Safety Act, 2021: It undertakes surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of dams. It mandates:
  • Dam classification Hazard Classification of Dams;
  • Emergency action plans;
  • Periodical safety inspections by third parties;
  • It also requires the establishment of State Committees and National Authority to monitor the safety of the Dams.
• National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA): It is the organization that coordinates the dam safety efforts in the states.
  • It keeps the National Register of Large Dams and facilitates capacity building, standards and awareness to the public.
• State-Level Implementation: The states have established Dam Safety Review Panels and have inspected thousands of dams before and after monsoons.
• Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP): It was initiated by the CWC through the assistance of the World Bank. It emphasizes on the rehabilitation of aging dams; renewed safety surveillance; and training dam operators and engineers;
  • DRIP Phase II and III are in progress and touch on more than 700 dams in 19 states.
• Digital Monitoring and Reservoir Management: the Dam Safety Organisation of CWC has introduced:
  • Web reservoir storage monitoring system;
  • FloodWatch India App to receive real-time flood warnings and you can check the reservoir.

Strengthening Measures

• Retrofitting and Rehabilitation: Retrofit high-risk dams.
• Use AI & Analytics: Use sensors and real-time data systems to monitor dam health.
• Climate Resilience: Revise safety standards to reflect shifting hydrological trends.
• Public Awareness and Transparency: Post safety audits and emergency plans so that they can be scrutinized by the public.

Source: The Hindu

Mains PYQ

(Q) Suppose the Government of India is thinking of constructing a dam in a mountain valley bound by forests and inhabited by ethnic communities. What rational policy should resort to in dealing with unforeseen contingencies? (2018)

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