{"id":88537,"date":"2026-02-18T17:22:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T11:52:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=88537"},"modified":"2026-02-18T17:22:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T11:52:19","slug":"international-conference-on-dam-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/international-conference-on-dam-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"International Conference on Dam Safety, About, Highlights, DRIP"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The International Conference on Dam Safety is a global platform where policymakers, engineers, experts and international organizations come together to discuss issues related to dam construction, maintenance, risk management and disaster preparedness.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>About International Conference on Dam Safety<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The International Conference on Dam Safety provides a global platform for experts, policymakers, and engineers to discuss dam construction, maintenance, risk management, and safety standards. They help countries share best practices, learn from past experiences and strengthen disaster preparedness and infrastructure resilience.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The International Conference on Dam Safety (ICDS) 2026 is the <\/span><b>second conference under the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) Phase II and III.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It was held in <\/span><b>Bengaluru<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on 13\u201314 February 2026. The first conference was organized in <\/span><b>Jaipur in 2023.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The conference is being organized by the Water Resources Department of the Government of Karnataka in collaboration with the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Central Water Commission (CWC), IISc Bengaluru, the <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/world-bank\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>World Bank<\/strong><\/a> and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>International Conference on Dam Safety Key Highlights<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Strengthening Dam Safety Framework<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The conference stressed effective implementation of the Dam Safety Act, 2021 and the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) to improve governance, accountability and long-term safety of India\u2019s dams.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Focus on Ageing Dams:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> With many dams nearing or exceeding their design life, emphasis was laid on scientific, risk-based rehabilitation, strict quality control and institutional capacity-building.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Sediment Management:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Reservoir sedimentation was identified as a serious threat to dam safety and water security. Preventive strategies such as catchment area treatment, remote sensing and sustainable desilting methods were highlighted.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Risk-Informed Decision-Making:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Experts recommended simplified risk screening methods, dam-break analysis tools and climate-aware assessment frameworks to prioritize safety interventions across India\u2019s large dam portfolio.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Flood and Reservoir Management:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The need for coordinated, basin-level reservoir operations using dynamic rule curves, inflow forecasting and real-time data sharing was emphasized to manage floods and droughts effectively.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Emergency Preparedness and Community Safety:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Strengthening Emergency Action Plans (EAPs), floodplain zoning, early warning systems and coordination with disaster management authorities were identified as key priorities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>About Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP)<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) is a <\/span><b>flagship programme of the Ministry of Jal Shakti <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">aimed at improving the safety and performance of dams in India. It focuses on repairing old dams, strengthening their structure, and improving their operation and maintenance systems.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India has the third-largest number of large dams in the world (after China and the USA), with more than 6,600 dams. Many of these dams are aging, so ensuring their safety is important for water security, irrigation, hydropower, and flood control. This makes DRIP a necessary initiative.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Financial Support<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DRIP receives financial assistance from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Each phase gets about USD 500 million as external support.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>The funding pattern is:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">80:20 (Centre : State) for Special Category States<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">70:30 for General Category States<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">50:50 for Central Agencies<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, Special Category States like Manipur, Meghalaya, and Uttarakhand receive a 90% Central grant on the loan amount.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Objectives of DRIP<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Safety Improvement:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Strengthen selected dams and improve their operational performance.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Institutional Strengthening:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Improve dam safety systems at both State and Central levels.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Revenue Generation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Explore ways to generate funds for sustainable maintenance of dams.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Climate Resilience &amp; Disaster Preparedness:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Install early warning systems, conduct dam-break studies, and prepare Emergency Action Plans (EAPs).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Phases of DRIP<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phase I (2012-2021): Rehabilitated 223 dams across 7 States and established basic safety guidelines.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phase II &amp; III (2021-2031): Cover 736 dams across 19 States with a total outlay of \u20b910,211 crore. These phases focus on climate resilience, advanced monitoring systems, and long-term sustainability.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Importance of Dams<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dams play a key role in ensuring water security in India. They store and regulate water for drinking, irrigation, hydropower generation and industrial use. They also help in flood control and maintain river flow during dry seasons. With more than 6600 large dams in the country, many of which are old, proper maintenance and safety management have become national priorities.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Need for Dam Safety<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dam safety is essential because failure can cause serious loss of life and property. <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/climate-change\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Climate change<\/strong><\/a> has increased extreme rainfall events, and the growing population in downstream areas has raised the risk. Therefore, dams require regular inspection, monitoring, timely repair and modernization using advanced technology.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Dam Safety Act, 2021<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Dam Safety Act, 2021 is an important law that ensures the safety of large dams in India. It provides clear rules for regular inspection, monitoring, operation and maintenance of dams to prevent accidents and disasters.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Act creates a four-level institutional system for dam safety. At the central level, it sets up the National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS) and the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA). At the state level, it provides for a State Committee on Dam Safety and a State Dam Safety Organization (SDSO). These bodies supervise and guide dam safety measures across the country.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Act also makes dam owners responsible for the safe construction, operation and maintenance of dams. They must conduct regular inspections, especially during the monsoon, set up dam safety units and prepare Emergency Action Plans, risk assessments and expert safety reports to avoid dam failure.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>International Conference on Dam Safety in Bengaluru under DRIP Phase II and III focused on ageing dams, risk management, flood control and Dam Safety Act 2021 implementation in India.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":88515,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[786],"tags":[4993,5106,5525],"class_list":{"0":"post-88537","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general-studies","8":"tag-environment","9":"tag-environment-notes","10":"tag-international-conference-on-dam-safety","11":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88537"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88537\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88576,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88537\/revisions\/88576"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}