{"id":73838,"date":"2026-05-16T21:29:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T15:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=73838"},"modified":"2026-05-16T21:30:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T16:00:38","slug":"dam-safety-framework","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/16-05-2026\/dam-safety-framework","title":{"rendered":"Dam Safety Framework"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Disaster Management<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dams have greatly supported agriculture, industry, and overall socio-economic development in India over the decades.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Status of Dams In India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India manages one of the largest dam portfolios globally.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It ranks <strong>third in the world, <\/strong>with 6628 specified dams, of which 6,545 are operational and 83 are under construction.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The gross water storage capacity of these dams is about 330 billion cubic metres.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India&#8217;s oldest, the Kallanai (Grand Anicut) in Tamil Nadu, has functioned for nearly 2,000 years\u2014showcasing enduring engineering and maintenance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maharashtra has the highest number of specified dams, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Odisha.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"b3def2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"793\" height=\"513\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-126.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-73839\" style=\"--dominant-color: #b3def2; width:537px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-126.png 793w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-126-300x194.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-126-768x497.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 793px) 100vw, 793px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Importance of Dams<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Agriculture &amp; Irrigation:<\/strong>\u00a0 Dams are vital for India\u2019s agriculture as they provide irrigation to large farmlands, support multi-cropping, and reduce dependence on monsoon rainfall, strengthening food security.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hydropower<\/strong>: Dams support hydropower generation, providing renewable energy and helping maintain grid stability while meeting peak electricity demand.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Flood Control: <\/strong>Dams help control floods by regulating river flow during monsoon and reducing downstream flood risks when managed effectively.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Socio-economic development:\u00a0 <\/strong>Dams support socio-economic development by improving rural livelihoods and enabling activities like fisheries, tourism, and inland navigation in certain regions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Industrial Growth:<\/strong> Dams Ensures water for manufacturing and economic activity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges and Issues<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ageing Infrastructure:<\/strong> Many older dams face risks due to structural ageing, fatigue, and outdated design standards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Institutional Gaps<\/strong>: Dam safety in India is affected by fragmented responsibilities across states, leading to uneven safety standards, funding gaps, and differences in technical capacity that result in inconsistent performance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Social &amp; Environmental Issues:<\/strong>Climate change is increasing extreme rainfall and floods, making dam safety and reservoir management more challenging.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dams can also cause displacement, ecological damage, and water-sharing conflicts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sedimentation<\/strong>: It\u00a0 reduces dam storage capacity over time and lowers the efficiency of irrigation and hydropower.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Safety Concerns <\/strong>: Dam failure can cause severe downstream disasters, so continuous monitoring and timely repairs are essential for safety.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Various Initiatives of the government<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP)<\/strong>: It is India\u2019s flagship programme to improve the safety and performance of existing dams through structural repairs, modernisation, and advanced monitoring systems.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is being implemented in three phases with World Bank and other international support, reflecting a shift towards risk-based dam safety management.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Dam Safety Act, 2021:<\/strong>\u00a0 It provides a comprehensive framework for surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of specified dams across the country.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It establishes a four-tier system (national to state level) for dam safety regulation and makes dam owners legally responsible for regular inspections, emergency planning, monitoring systems, and proper funding for maintenance.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u00a0A specified dam under the Act refers to a dam that is more than 15 metres in height, or between 10 and 15 metres in height if it satisfies prescribed technical criteria.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS):<\/strong> It is the apex body under the Dam Safety Act, 2021, responsible for framing policies and setting national standards for dam safety.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It guides the overall dam safety framework to prevent dam-related disasters and ensure uniform safety norms across India.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA): <\/strong>It is responsible for implementing the policies, guidelines, and standards set by the National Committee on Dam Safety.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>State-Level Institutions and Dam Owners: <\/strong>The Dam Safety Act, 2021, mandates the constitution of State Committees on Dam Safety (SCDS) and the establishment of State Dam Safety Organisations (SDSOs).\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dam owners must ensure inspections, emergency plans, risk assessments, funding for repairs, safety instruments, and early warning systems.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Capacity Building: <\/strong>Centres of Excellence (CoEs) for dam safety are being set up at IIT Roorkee and IISc Bengaluru to focus on seismic hazard, risk assessment, rehabilitation, and dam safety technologies.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A National Centre for Earthquake Safety of Dams is also being established at MNIT Jaipur.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>M.Tech programmes in dam safety have been started at IIT Roorkee and IISc Bengaluru since 2021\u201322 to build specialised expertise in this field.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Digital Initiatives <\/strong>: Digital platforms such as DHARMA, along with instrumentation and Early Warning Systems, are strengthening real-time monitoring and data-driven dam safety management.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion and Way Forward&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s dams are vital for water, food, and energy security, supporting irrigation, hydropower, drinking water supply, and flood control, and have driven long-term socio-economic development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00a0However, many are aging and increasingly affected by sedimentation and climate variability, making safety and asset management a growing priority over expansion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India is responding through the Dam Safety Act, 2021, the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP), and digital monitoring tools to improve safety and governance.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The focus is shifting to rehabilitation, climate resilience, and technology-driven predictive maintenance for safer and more sustainable dam management.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Source :<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2261335&amp;reg=3&amp;lang=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PIB<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> In News <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Dams have greatly supported agriculture, industry, and overall socio-economic development in India over the decades. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Status of Dams In India <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> India manages one of the largest dam portfolios globally.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> It ranks third in the world, with 6628 specified dams, of which 6,545 are operational and 83 are under construction.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The gross water storage capacity of these dams is about 330 billion cubic metres.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/16-05-2026\/dam-safety-framework \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73838"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73842,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73838\/revisions\/73842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}