Lok Sabha Question No. 3199 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-21
Subject: Uniform procedures for Dam Safety
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Dushyant Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

## DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3199

ANSWERED ON 21.12.2023

## UNIFORM PROCEDURES FOR DAM SAFETY

## 3199. SHRI DUSHYANT SINGH

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is true that India has six thousand plus large dams out of which eighty percent of them are 25 years old and carries safety risk;

(b) if so, the details thereof and the steps being taken in this regard;

(c) the details of operational and under construction dams in the country, State-wise including Rajasthan;

(d) whether the Government has decided to develop uniform procedures for ensuring the safety of existing and new dams and if so, the details thereof; and

(e) whether the Government proposes to give statutory powers to the Central Water Commission (CWC), National  Committee  on  Dam  Safety  (NCDS),  Central  Dam  Safety  Organization  (CDSO)  and  State  Dam Safety Organisations (SDSOs) and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI BISHWESWAR TUDU )

(a) to (d) As per the National Register of Large (Specified) Dams, 2023 compiled by the National Dam Safety  Authority  based  on  the  data  provided  by  the  various  dam  owners,  there  are  6138  completed  and operational  specified  dams   and   143  are  under  construction  stage.  Further,  there  are  3789  numbers  of specified  dams,  which  are  more  than  25  years  old . State-wise  list  of  operational  and  under  construction dams including Rajasthan is given at Annexure.

However, here it is important to mention that aging of dams is not detrimental to its overall health, provided it is maintained properly and timely repairs are carried out in the structure ensuring its structural intactness, safety features and operation.

Government of India has taken several initiatives to improve the safety conditions of these dams in the country.

In order to address the dam safety issues holistically, Union Government has enacted the Dam Safety Act in December 2021. The Act provides a comprehensive frame work for proper surveillance, inspection, operations  and  maintenance  of  all  the  large  (specified)  dams  of  the  country  for  ensuring  their  safe functioning and to avoid dam failure related disasters. The Act also provides for empowered institutional framework for dam safety both at the Centre and State and will also help in standardizing and improving dam safety practices across the country.

Moreover, in order to improve the safety and operational performance of selected existing dams in the country,  Government  of  India  is  implementing  the  Dam  Rehabilitation  and  Improvement  Project  (DRIP) with external funding. Under the World Bank funded DRIP Phase-I programme, which was implemented during April 2012 to March 2021, 223 existing dams located in 7 States were comprehensively audited and rehabilitated at a cost of Rs. 2,567 crores.

After completion of DRIP Phase I programme, Government of India has taken up DRIP Phase-II & III. The scheme envisages rehabilitation and safety improvement of 736 dams located in 19 States, with a budget  outlay  of  Rs.  10,211  crore.  The  scheme  is  of  10  years  duration.  DRIP  Phase-Il  has  become operational  from  12th  October  2021,  and  is  being  co-financed  by  the  World  Bank  and  the  Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank.

(e) Dam  Safety  Act  2021  provides  for  four  tiers  of  institutional  mechanism:  establishment  of  National Committee  on  Dam  Safety  (NCDS)  and  National  Dam  Safety  Authority  (NDSA)  at  Centre  level  and establishment of State Committee on Dam Safety and the State Dam Safety Organization at State level.

After  enactment of the Dam Safety Act, Central Government has constituted the NCDS  to evolve dam safety policies and recommend necessary regulations as may be required. Central Government has also established the National Dam Safety Authority to function as a regulatory authority to implement the policy, guidelines  and  standards  evolved  by  the  NCDS  for  proper  surveillance,  inspection  and  maintenance  of specified dams.

Similarly,  at  the  State/UT  level,  all  the  States  (28)  and  Union  Territories  (3)  owning  the  specified dams have established the State/UT Dam Safety Committees & Organisations.

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY OF  PART (a)  to  (d)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO.  3199  ANSWERED  ON  21.12.2023  REGARDING  'UNIFORM  PROCEDURES FOR DAM SAFETY'.

## State-wise List of Large Dams as per NRLD-2023

| Sl. No.   | States/UT                       |   Operational dams |   Under Construction dams |   Total number of dams |
|-----------|---------------------------------|--------------------|---------------------------|------------------------|
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh                  |                140 |                        24 |                    164 |
| 2         | Arunachal Pradesh               |                  1 |                         3 |                      4 |
| 3         | Assam                           |                  3 |                         2 |                      5 |
| 4         | Bihar                           |                 27 |                         1 |                     28 |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh                    |                339 |                         7 |                    346 |
| 6         | Goa                             |                  5 |                         0 |                      5 |
| 7         | Gujarat                         |                487 |                         4 |                    491 |
| 8         | Haryana                         |                  1 |                         0 |                      1 |
| 9         | Himachal Pradesh                |                 23 |                         6 |                     29 |
| 10        | Jharkhand                       |                 55 |                        24 |                     79 |
| 11        | Karnataka                       |                231 |                         0 |                    231 |
| 12        | Kerala                          |                 61 |                         0 |                     61 |
| 13        | Madhya Pradesh                  |               1354 |                         0 |                   1354 |
| 14        | Maharashtra                     |               2333 |                        41 |                   2374 |
| 15        | Manipur                         |                  3 |                         1 |                      4 |
| 16        | Meghalaya                       |                  8 |                         1 |                      9 |
| 17        | Mizoram                         |                  1 |                         0 |                      1 |
| 18        | Nagaland                        |                  1 |                         0 |                      1 |
| 19        | Odisha                          |                210 |                         0 |                    210 |
| 20        | Punjab                          |                 18 |                         1 |                     19 |
| 21        | Rajasthan                       |                310 |                         4 |                    314 |
| 22        | Sikkim                          |                  2 |                         0 |                      2 |
| 23        | Tamil Nadu                      |                127 |                         0 |                    127 |
| 24        | Telangana                       |                161 |                        13 |                    174 |
| 25        | Tripura                         |                  1 |                         0 |                      1 |
| 26        | Uttar Pradesh                   |                151 |                         4 |                    155 |
| 27        | Uttarakhand                     |                 32 |                         5 |                     37 |
| 28        | West Bengal                     |                 36 |                         0 |                     36 |
| 29        | Andaman and Nicobar Island (UT) |                  2 |                         0 |                      2 |
| 30        | Jammu and Kashmir (UT)          |                 13 |                         2 |                     15 |
| 31        | Ladakh (UT)                     |                  2 |                         0 |                      2 |
|           | Total                           |               6138 |                       143 |                   6281 |

*****