2024: Has NDSA made our dams any safer?

January 5, 2025January 18, 2025 SANDRP1 Comment

(Feature Image: Srisailam dam in Telangana. Source: Telangana Today)

This annual overview focusses on the functioning of National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and related institutions in 2024 to understand if the functioning of these institutions have made Indian Dams any safer? Here functioning of Central Water Commission (CWC) is also important as CWC people head all the dam safety panels. The dam safety related institutions were formed following the passage of Dam Safety Act 2021 and hence there were promises and hopes that these institutions will make our dams safer.

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Water Options

Becoming water smart holds the key to our water secure future

May 28, 2024 SANDRPLeave a comment

As somewhat belated summer in North India reaches its peak, with ongoing heat wave in Delhi and surrounding areas, there is increasing fear of water scarcity. The media generally uses one figure to highlight this situation, namely Live Storage in some 150 reservoirs in Central Water Commission (CWC)’s Weekly Reservoir Bulletin (WRB) that is published every Thursday afternoon (why cannot this be given on daily basis is a mystery).

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Dam Disaster

Medigadda dam of Kaleshwaram project in Telangana damaged in Oct 2023

October 24, 2023November 3, 2023 SANDRP1 Comment

A portion of the Lakshmi (Medigadda) barrage on Godavari river on Telangana-Maharashtra border, part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) in Telangana’s Jayashankar Bhupalpally district[i] caved in on Oct 21 2023, Saturday night with a loud sound. The incident led to the temporary closure of the bridge of the barrage across the Godavari River that links Telangana’s Mahadevpur mandal with Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district. The KLIP is the world’s largest Lift Irrigation Project, possibly the costliest, with expenses already above Rs 1 lakh crore. The Union Govt, recognising this as a major dam failure under para 8 of Schedule II of Dam Safety Act 2021, has promptly sent a team of six experts to assess the damage.

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Dam Safety

2022: Growing Concerns over Dam Safety, Sustainability & Impacts

December 26, 2022December 30, 2022 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature image: Breach in Karam dam, MP in Aug. 2022. Dainik Jagran)

This annual overview is focused on issues concerning structural and operational safety of dams that arose in 2022. It includes issues related to how climatic threats and siltation is making the large dams unsustainable. It also highlights the impacts of dams on river eco-system and riverine people amid some corrective measures being taken by the various state and central governments including the formation of National Dam Safety Authority.

Please see for links to SANDRP’s analysis on the issues in 2022 in India covering: (1) Dam induced floods, (2) Dam safety and related issues of Polavaram project, (3) Disasters and accidents caused by hydro power projects in Himalayan states, (4) Growing and ongoing resistance against destructive dams and hydro projects, (5) Fly ash dam breaches.

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