Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project:

GS Paper 3:

Topics Covered: Different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage.

Context:

Of all Asian countries, India has the highest flood mortality rate, or the number of lives lost to flood each year. According to the Central Water Commission, between 1952 and 2018, floods led to the loss of one hundred thousand lives and Rs 4,69,000 crore in damages.

• These tragedies are now being compounded by the effects of climate change on dam operations.

What’s the issue?

The country has 5,745 dams, of which 293 are more than 100 years old; 25% of the dams are between 50 and 100 years old.

• These dams are ill-equipped to respond to climate change, as old rainfall patterns shift and extreme weather events increase in frequency.
• An assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, released in March 2022, notes that instances of floods in South Asia, including those caused by glacial lake outbursts, are going to increase with rising temperature.

The solution- About DRIP:

The project was launched in 2012 by the Central Water Commission (CWC) with assistance from the World Bank.

The objectives of DRIP:

1. To improve the safety and operational performance of selected existing dams and associated appurtenances in a sustainable manner.
2. To strengthen the dam safety institutional setup of participating States / Implementing Agencies.

Phase 1 of the Project:

The first phase of the DRIP programme covered 223 dams in 7 states.

Phase II and Phase III:

• Financial Assistance is being provided by the World Bank (WB), and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
• The Project will be implemented over a period of 10 years duration in two Phases, each of six years duration with two years overlapping from April, 2021 to March, 2031.

DRIP Phase II & Phase III envisages the following objectives:

1. To improve the safety and performance of selected existing dams and associated appurtenances in a sustainable manner.
2. To strengthen the dam safety institutional setup in participating states as well as at central level.
3. To explore the alternative incidental means at a few selected dams to generate the incidental revenue for sustainable operation and maintenance of dams.

Need for the Scheme:

India ranks third globally after China and the United States of America, with 5334 large dams in operation. In addition, about 411 dams are under construction at present. There are also several thousand smaller dams.

• Indian dams and reservoirs play an important role in the economic and agricultural growth of our country by storing approximately 300 billion cubic meter of water annually.
• These dams present a major responsibility in terms of asset management and safety.
• The consequences of dam failure can be catastrophic, in terms of loss of human life and property, and damage to ecology.

Insta Curious:

• DHARMA (Dam Health and Rehabilitation Monitoring) is a system to monitor the health of dams. At present, it is being used by 18 states.
• A seismic hazard analysis information system (SHAISYS) has also been developed.

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. About DHARMA.
2. What is SHAISYS?
3. About DRIP.
4. Implementation of the third phase and international financial assistance.

Mains Link:

Discuss the significance of the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project.

Sources: PIB.