Central Water Commission (CWC) has signed MoUs with NIT Calicut and NIT Rourkela to support dam rehabilitation efforts of various implementing agencies and CWC.
Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has taken on board selected premier academic and research institutes, for capacity building in the areas of dam safety through World Bank assisted Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP).
The scope includes strengthening the testing laboratories, enhancing analytical capabilities, exposure visits to best global institutions and on ground exposure to dam safety concerns to the faculty of these institutions.
CWC had signed MoUs with IIT Madras and IISc Bengaluru in January 2017 and Ministry is supporting these institutes for the procurement of specified equipment and software for enhancing their testing and modeling capabilities.
DRIP is assisting rehabilitation of 225 dams in seven States which are experiencing different levels of distress.
Owners of these dams require technical support for the investigation of dam conditions and supporting rehabilitation efforts.
The Government of India has decided to enhance the capability of selected premier academic institutes in dam safety areas so that they, in turn, carry out field investigations and material testing, and provide training and consulting services to the dam owners in their dam rehabilitation efforts.
Background:
There are about 4900 large dams in India and about 300 are under construction. In addition, there are several thousand smaller dams. These dams are vital for ensuring the water security of the country; and they also constitute a major responsibility in terms of asset management and safety.
In April 2012, the Central Water Commission (CWC) with assistance from the World Bank, embarked upon the six year Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) at an estimated cost of Rs. 2100 crore.
The project originally envisaged the rehabilitation and improvement of about 223 dams within four states namely, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu and later Karnataka, Uttarakhand (UNVNL) and Jharkhand (DVC) joined DRIP and total number of dams covered under DRIP increased to 250; the actual numbers may vary owing to the addition / deletion of dams during implementation (click current status).
The project will also promote new technologies and improve Institutional capacities for dam safety evaluation and implementation at the Central and State levels and in some identified premier academic and research institutes of the country.
The Central Dam Safety Organisation of Central Water Commission, assisted by a Consulting firm, is coordinating and supervising the Project implementation.