New Delhi, Jul 17 (PTI): The National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS) on Friday reviewed the implementation of the Dam Safety Act, 2021 and decided to frame a new regulation to strengthen surveillance and security of major dams covered under the law in view of emerging threats to water infrastructure.
The decision was taken at the 12th meeting of the committee chaired by the chairman of the Central Water Commission (CWC), according to an official statement.
The meeting was attended by representatives of 10 central ministries and departments, seven states, two dam safety experts, heads of State Dam Safety Organisations and other special invitees.
The CWC chairman highlighted the progress made in implementing the Dam Safety Act through notification of regulations, issuance of technical guidelines and development of key dam safety documents.
He also stressed the need to expedite preparation of Emergency Action Plans, Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluations, Operation and Maintenance Manuals and Risk Assessment studies.
Following detailed deliberations, the committee agreed to amend regulations relating to safety inspection checklists for specified dams and finalise the dam safety chapter for inclusion in the guidelines for preparation of Detailed Project Reports for construction or alteration of dams.
It also decided to prepare technical guidelines on hazard classification, risk assessment, instrumentation of specified dams and their catchments, emergency action plans and operation and maintenance manuals, besides exploring accreditation of agencies engaged in investigations, design, construction and quality control.
The committee decided to continue nominating working engineers for postgraduate programmes on dam safety at IIT Roorkee and IISc Bengaluru and explore engagement of regional institutions, including NIT Surat, NIT Calicut, NIT Nagpur, IIT Guwahati and NIT Shillong, to strengthen the technical capacity of dam owners.
It also deliberated on whether a new regulation was required to address reservoir sedimentation.
The committee reviewed technical presentations on recent failures of the Luti Tank and Rajadera dams in Chhattisgarh, the Teesta Stage-III dam in Sikkim and the Madhopur barrage in Punjab, besides reservoir dredging activities at the Bisalpur Dam in Rajasthan.
It asked all states to expedite mandatory compliances under the Dam Safety Act, particularly Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluations, Emergency Action Plans and Risk Assessment studies for all specified dams before the statutory deadline of December 2026, the statement said. PTI ADI NB NB
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