Sansad TV Perspective: Concerns over Dam Safety

In the series Sansad TV Perspective, we bring you an analysis of the discussion featured on the insightful programme ‘Perspective’ on Sansad TV, on various important topics affecting India and also the world. This analysis will help you immensely for the IAS exam, especially the mains exam, where a well-rounded understanding of topics is a prerequisite for writing answers that fetch good marks.

In this article, we feature the discussion on the topic: ‘Concerns over Dam Safety’.

Anchor: Teena Jha

Guests:

1. Guman Singh Damor, Member, Parliament Standing Committee on Water Resources
2. Prof. P.S.N. Rao, Former Director, SPA    
3. Prof. Anil Gupta, Policy Planning, NIDM
4. N K Mathur, Former Member, D&R, Central Water Commission
5. Dr. Mukta Girdhar, Sr. Consultant, Delhi Disaster Management Authority

Context: The Standing Committee on Water Resources submitted its report on 20th March 2023.

Highlights of the discussion:

• Introduction
• Dams and their Significance
• Associated Concerns
• Decommissioning of Dams
• Way Ahead

Introduction:

• A parliamentary panel has expressed concerns over the safety of ageing dams in India. The Standing Committee on Water Resources, in its 20th report, has raised the issue of safety risks posed by more than 200 dams in the country. 
• Citing the National Register of Large Dams 2019, the panel says 234 large dams in India are 100 years old but are still functional. 
• The panel has reported that dams are normally designed for approximately 100 years of useful age. Their functional life gets decreased with progressive reservoir sedimentation concurrently reducing project benefits.

Dams and their Significance:

• India has the third largest number of dams in the world, after the USA and China.
• Dams were constructed to rationalize the water in water surplus and water deficit regions.
• Dams in India are mostly operated and maintained by state governments, Public Sector Units, and private agencies.
• Dams can be categorized as Earthen, Concrete, and Composite dams. They can also be classified as timber dams, embankment dams, and masonry dams. 
• Based on height, dams are commonly grouped as low dams, medium dams, and high dams.
• They are a very crucial component of the infrastructure development of a country.
• They are the backbone of the economy. 
• Dams cater to the irrigation and power generation demands of the country.
• Water from dams is also tapped by human habitations that settle near the dam areas.
• Dams also have a considerable impact on the environment.
• Regular assessments of dams are undertaken for health and safety status.
• A Dam Safety Act was passed on 13th December 2021. It has made provisions for National Committee on Dam Safety, State Committee on dam safety, etc.

Also read: Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project

Associated Concerns:

• Currently, there is no mechanism to determine the exact life of a dam. Moreover, there is no mechanism to assess the viable life span and performance of a dam.
• The panel reported five major instances of leakage and failure.
• It should be noted that not a single dam has been decommissioned in India.
• Dams have various environmental and social challenges of submergence, rehabilitation, etc.
• The concept of the ecological flow of rivers has also gained traction against the backdrop of climate change.
• Two major challenges associated with dam safety are:
  • Climate change-induced extreme weather events further raise the risks for dams.
  • The Himalayas are seismologically very active and since most of the projects are located there it has the potential to create great havoc.

Dam Safety and Maintenance:

• There are two aspects of dam safety namely the life of reservoirs and the life of the dam.
  • The Life of Reservoirs is governed by dimensions like siltation in the reservoir, choking of outlet, the capacity of the reservoir, etc.
  • The Life of a Dam is looked at from the dimensions of structural life.
• After the Machhu Dam Failure in 1979, there was a major churning about dam safety. The Central Water Commission started developing protocols for the assessment of dam safety in India.
• A robust mechanism with officials at various levels to maintain, guide, assess, and supervise the entire process was established.
• There was a three-tier dam safety mechanism at the owner, state, and central levels. 
  • The owner would take care of all the aspects of the dam and get it timely inspected.
  • The state authorities would supervise the owner.
  • The central authority would formulate guidelines and policies, and provide technical inputs and financial support.
• Dam safety involves an entire gamut of activities involving capacity building, training, developing tools to estimate the age, etc.
• The lessons and learnings from previous experiences have been incorporated into all the stages of planning, training, and engineering.

Decommissioning of Dams:

• It is suggested if the maintenance cost is more than the power generation or irrigation output, then the project should be decommissioned.
• Moreover, if the economic burden has significantly increased, and the safety and environmental features are reduced, then the project should be discontinued.
• It should be noted that no dam in India has been decommissioned and there should be a proper policy for it.
• However, decommissioning has various challenges associated with it:
  • The land area occupied by dams in India is huge and land is a limiting factor for commissioning new dams.
  • It would have socio-ecological implications.
  • There is a need for the identification of dams that would require remedial interventions.
  • It should also be analyzed from a disaster risk point of view.
  • There should be convergence with Disaster Management Authority at all levels.
  • It should be assessed whether a dam is economically sustainable or not.
  • India has a huge population whose water requirements are increasing with each passing day.
  • The existing capacities of dams are not enough to sustain the basic needs of people.
  • The reduction in the storage capacity can have implications for food security and industrial development needs.
  • As urbanization increases, there would be more need for the transportation of large quantum of water from long distances.
  • There would be issues of rehabilitation even after decommissioning.
  • The river channelization that was changed after the construction of dams will again be hampered.
  • The financial investment for decommissioning can be more than the remedial measures of retrofitting.

Way Ahead:

• The dam should be treated as an entire system with the upstream, downstream, and nearby landscapes of flora and fauna.
• Disaster impact assessment should also be incorporated into dam safety.
• There should be a focus on the innovation of technology. The technology should be integrated with local knowledge to build resilience.
• The local community should have a disaster management plan to minimize the damage.
• Water management efficiency is extremely important and thus it is important to look at the larger concept of water conservation.

Read all the previous Sansad TV Perspective articles in the link.

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