Lok Sabha Question No. 17 (STARRED), answered on 2023-02-02
Subject: Study on Dams
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Nishikant  Dubey

## DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI, REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. *17

ANSWERED ON 02.02.2023

## STUDY ON DAMS

| *17                                                                                                                                                                                    | DR. NISHIKANT DUBEY                                                                                                                                                                    |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:                                                                                                                                   | Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:                                                                                                                                   |
| (a) whether the Government has undertaken any survey to assess the structure and condition of dams in the country, including in the State of Jharkhand and if so, the details thereof; | (a) whether the Government has undertaken any survey to assess the structure and condition of dams in the country, including in the State of Jharkhand and if so, the details thereof; |
| (b) the details of dams found in dangerous condition therefrom;                                                                                                                        | (b) the details of dams found in dangerous condition therefrom;                                                                                                                        |
| (c) whether the Government proposes to frame any guidelines to increase the safety of dams and if                                                                                      | (c) whether the Government proposes to frame any guidelines to increase the safety of dams and if                                                                                      |
| so, the details thereof; and                                                                                                                                                           | so, the details thereof; and                                                                                                                                                           |
| (d) whether the Government has allocated any funds to ensure repair/renovation of the dams which                                                                                       | (d) whether the Government has allocated any funds to ensure repair/renovation of the dams which                                                                                       |
| may be found dangerous in near future and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise?                                                                                                   | may be found dangerous in near future and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise?                                                                                                   |
| ANSWER                                                                                                                                                                                 | ANSWER                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| THE MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI                                                                                                                                                             | THE MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI                                                                                                                                                             |
| (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)                                                                                                                                                        | (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)                                                                                                                                                        |
| (a) to (d) : A statement is laid on the Table of the                                                                                                                                   | (a) to (d) : A statement is laid on the Table of the                                                                                                                                   |
| House.                                                                                                                                                                                 | House.                                                                                                                                                                                 |

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO,  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (d)  OF  STARRED QUESTION NO. *17 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.02.2023 IN LOK SABHA REGARDING 'STUDY ON DAMS' ASKED BY DR. NISHIKANT DUBEY.

(a) The responsibility to ensure the safety of dams, including their operation and maintenance, rests primarily with dam owners which are mostly the State Governments and Central/State Public Sector Units. Dam owners generally carry out the safety audit (in terms of periodical pre-monsoon and postmonsoon  inspections)  of  the  dams  under  their  jurisdiction.  Some  States  have  also  constituted  the Dam Safety Review Panel for comprehensive inspection of their dams.

Further, as per section 31 of the Dam Safety Act 2021, every owner of a specified dam has been  mandated  to  undertake  annually,  through  their  dam  safety  unit,  a  pre-monsoon  and  postmonsoon  inspection  in  respect  of  each  specified  dam  and  to  forward  the  inspection  report  to  the concerned State Dam Safety Organization, which shall analyze the report and provide comments on safety, deficiency and remedial measures, if any, to the owner of the specified dam.

As per the information provided by the National Dam Safety Authority, pre-monsoon and post-monsoon  inspections  in  respect  of  3,919  and  3,930  dams  respectively  have  been  carried  out across the country during this financial year. Pre-monsoon and post-monsoon inspections of 63 and 28 dams respectively have been carried out in the State of Jharkhand .

(b) As an outcome of pre-monsoon and post-monsoon inspections, dams are categorized into three categories  on  the  basis  of  urgency  of  repairs  /  maintenance.  Category  III  requires  minor  remedial measures  which  are  rectifiable  during  the  year;  Category  II  indicates  major  deficiencies  requiring prompt remedial measures and Category I indicates the deficiencies which may lead to their failure.

As  reported  by  States  and  other  dam  owners  so  far,  11  dams  across  the  country  have  been categorized under category I (Odisha-4, Uttar Pradesh-2, Tamil Nadu-2 and Madhya Pradesh-3).

(c) Central Water Commission has published several guidelines for dam safety. Under the recently concluded Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) Phase-I Programme, guidelines/manuals relevant for various areas of dam safety have been prepared and published. These documents are intended to ensure uniformity and standardization of various procedures dealing with dam safety across the country. These guidelines/manuals can be accessed through the following link: https://damsafety.cwc.gov.in/index.php?lang=&page=Downloads&origin=front-end&tp=1&rn=1 Further,  the  Union  Government  has  enacted  the  Dam  Safety  Act,  2021  for  proper  surveillance, inspection,  operation  and  maintenance  of  the  specified  dams  for  prevention  of  dam  failure  related disasters and to provide for an institutional mechanism to ensure their safe functioning. Pursuant to the  provisions  of  the  Dam  Safety  Act  2021,  the  Central  Government  has  constituted  the  National Committee on Dam Safety and established the National Dam Safety Authority for overseeing dam safety  activities  across  the  country  and  to  evolve  dam  safety  policies  and  recommend  necessary regulations regarding dam safety standards in the country.

(d) As the dams are owned, operated and maintained by State Governments Departments/Boards/CPSUs/Private Agencies, etc.; funds for the operation and maintenance of dams are allocated by the respective agencies.

Further, section 21 of the Dam Safety Act, 2021 stipulates that:

'Every owner of the specified dam shall earmark sufficient and specific funds for maintenance and repairs  of  the  specified  dam  and  to  implement  the  recommendations  of  the  State  Dam  Safety Organisation'.

Necessary  directions  have  been  issued  by  the  National  Dam  Safety  Authority  and  the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India to the various dam owners to allocate the dam safety funds on annual basis to ensure repair/renovation of the dams.

Moreover, in order to improve the safety and operational performance of select 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 have been comprehensively audited and rehabilitated at a cost of Rs. 2,567 crore.

After  completion of DRIP Phase- I programme, Government of India has now 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-II  has  become  operational  from  12th  October  2021,  and  is  being  co-financed  by  the World  Bank  and  the  Asian  Infrastructure  and  Investment  Bank.  State/Agency-wise  number  of proposed dams and the financial outlay under DRIP, Phase-II & III Scheme is given at Annexure. Under DRIP-II &III, 35 dams of Jharkhand have been included with total estimated cost of Rs. 238 crore. However, State of Jharkhand has not been onboard under this scheme due to non-fulfilment of readiness criteria set out by the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance and the World Bank.

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (d) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *17 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.02.2023 REGARDING STUDY ON DAMS

## State/Agency-wise List of Proposed Dams and Cost under DRIP-II & III

| SI. No.   | State / Agency   | No. of dams   | Estimated cost (Rs. crore)   |
|-----------|------------------|---------------|------------------------------|
| 1.        | Andhra Pradesh   | 31            | 667                          |
| 2.        | Chhattisgarh     | 5             | 133                          |
| 3.        | Goa              | 2             | 58                           |
| 4.        | Gujarat          | 6             | 400                          |
| 5.        | Jharkhand        | 35            | 238                          |
| 6.        | Karnataka        | 41            | 612                          |
| 7.        | Kerala           | 28            | 316                          |
| 8.        | Madhya Pradesh   | 27            | 186                          |
| 9.        | Maharashtra      | 167           | 940                          |
| 10.       | Manipur          | 2             | 311                          |
| 11.       | Meghalaya        | 6             | 441                          |
| 12.       | Odisha           | 36            | 804                          |
| 13.       | Punjab           | 12            | 442                          |
| 14.       | Rajasthan        | 189           | 965                          |
| 15.       | Tamil Nadu       | 59            | 1,064                        |
| 16.       | Telangana        | 29            | 545                          |
| 17.       | Uttar Pradesh    | 39            | 787                          |
| 18.       | Uttarakhand      | 6             | 274                          |
| 19.       | West Bengal      | 9             | 84                           |
| 20.       | BBMB             | 2             | 230                          |
| 21.       | CWC              | ---           | 570                          |
| 22.       | DVC              | 5             | 144                          |
| Total     | Total            | 736           | 10,211                       |

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