3 panels to look after dam safety

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Government has constituted Dam Safety Review Panel following the directions from Central Water Commission (CWC) for inspection of large dams in the State once in every 10 years.

Earlier, the State had two committees which have now been reconstituted into three panels each having six members. 

The panels will review the existing dams as well as those in the proposed Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) II. While the first panel will be headed by former CWC chairman AB Pandya, the second will be chaired by former CWC member AK Ganju. The third panel will be headed by former CWC chairman RC Jha.

According to a notification, the panels will function as per the guidelines and terms of reference issued by CWC and ensure timely completion of comprehensive dam safety evaluation. 

Odisha has 163 large dams out of which 38 have been identified for rehabilitation and improvement works under DRIP by Odisha Water Resources department in the first phase. 

The panels will inspect both structural and non-structural issues in all dams, some of which are more than 100 years old. In the first phase, older dams have been taken into consideration for repair and restoration work. While already 90 per cent work has been completed, the remaining work is expected to be over by June next year.

The CWC will consider repairing and maintenance of dams after the panels submit their inspection reports. The panels will carry out thorough inspection of dams once in every 10 years even after the repair works as provisioned in the guideline.  

An official of Water Resources department said the panel will focus on leakages in dams, improvement in dam drainage and ability to withstand higher floods besides hydrological assessments.

“With advanced technology, the panels would go for surveillance and monitoring of dams through underwater and geo-physical investigation,” he added.