Table of Contents
DAM SAFETY BILL 2018
• There are over 5200 large dams in India and about 450 are under construction. Plus
there are thousands of medium and small dams.
• Due to lack of legal and institutional architecture for dam safety in India, dam safety is an issue of concern.
• Unsafe dams are a hazard and dam break may cause disasters, leading to huge loss of life and
property.
The Dam Safety Bill, 2018 address all issues concerning dam safety–
• regular inspection of dams,
• Emergency Action Plan,
• comprehensive dam safety review,
• adequate repair and maintenance funds for dam safety,
• It lays onus of dam safety on the dam owner
• Details:
• The Bill provides for proper surveillance, inspection, operation and
maintenance of all specified dams in the country to ensure their
safe functioning.
• The Bill provides for constitution of a National Committee on Dam
Safety which shall evolve dam safety policies and recommend
necessary regulations as may be required for the purpose.
• The Bill provides for establishment of National Dam Safety
Authority as a regulatory body which shall discharge functions to
implement the policy, guidelines and standards for dam safety in
the country.
• The Bill provides for constitution of a State Committee on Dam
Safety by State Government.
National Dam Safety Authority
• It shall maintain liaison with the State Dam Safety
Organisations and the owners of dams for
standardisation of dam safety related data and
practices;
• It shall provide the technical and managerial assistance
to the States and State Dam Safety Organisations;
• It shall maintain a national level data-base of all dams in
the country and the records of major dam failures;
• It shall examine the cause of any major dam failure;
• It shall publish and update the standard guidelines and check-lists for the
routine inspection and detailed investigations of dams.
• It shall accord recognition or accreditations to the organisations
that can be entrusted with the works of investigation, design or
construction of new dams;
• It will also look into unresolved points of issue between the State
Dam Safety Organisation of two states, or between the State
Dam Safety Organisation of a State and the owner of a dam in that
State, for proper solution;
• Further, in certain cases, such as dams of one State falling under
the territory of another State, the National Authority shall also
perform the role of State Dam Safety Organization thereby
eliminating potential causes for inter-state conflicts.
State Committee on Dam Safety
• It will ensure proper surveillance, inspection, operation and
maintenance of all specified dams in that State and ensure their
safe functioning.
• It further provides that every State shall establish a “State Dam
Safety Organisation”, which will be manned by officers from the
field dam safety preferably from the areas of dam-designs, hydromechanical
engineering, hydrology, geo-technical investigation,
instrumentation and dam-rehabilitation.
• Benefits:
• It will help all the States and Union Territories of
India to adopt uniform dam safety procedures which
shall ensure safety of dams and safeguard benefits
from such dams.
• This shall also help in safeguarding human life,
livestock and property.
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