Now Reading: India dam safety rules deadline unrealistic, experts warn
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India dam safety rules deadline unrealistic, experts warn
India must urgently reform dam safety regulation after a spate of disasters, a senior expert has warned. The New Indian Express reports that a government deadline to complete Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluations…
The Story in Brief
India must urgently reform dam safety regulation after a spate of disasters, a senior expert has warned. The New Indian Express reports that a government deadline to complete Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluations (CDSE) by December 2026 risks producing flawed reports. Dr Brijendra Kumar Mishra, a National Dam Safety Authority empanelled expert, said the rush undermines scientific rigour. A proper CDSE requires three to five months of field visits and geological study.
Nearly 6,628 large dams exist in India, the third-highest globally, with over a thousand older than 50 years. The World Bank-funded Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project covers only a fraction of them, leaving thousands without repair funding. Recent dam-related disasters include the Chamoli-Rishiganga breach (2021), the Teesta-III glacial lake flood (2023), and a tunnel collapse at Teesta-IV in July 2026.
The Indian Opinion
The December 2026 deadline for dam safety evaluations is a textbook case of bureaucratic ticking-boxes over science. The narrative that India's dam infrastructure is ageing but manageable ignores that the Dam Safety Act, 2021, has struggled in implementation. A rushed CDSE is worse than none. The question is not whether the government wants safety, but whether it will fund and time the evaluations properly. Watch if the Central Water Commission extends the deadline by even a single month.
Source: newindianexpress.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
