International Dam Safety Conference – 2018 begun at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 23rd January 2018. Dam safety conferences are organized every year under the Dam Safety Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP).
Highlights of International Dam Safety Conference – 2018:
This two-day conference was inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan while Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Minister of State for of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation presided over the inaugural function.
- International Dam Safety Conference – 2018 is being organised by Central Water Commission in association with Kerala Water Resources Department (KWRD), National Institute of Technology – Calicut, Kerala State Electricity Board and College of Engineering, Trivandrum.
- Nearly 550 delegates from over 20 countries including leading dam safety specialists and seismic experts are participating in this conference.
- Over 140 technical papers on several aspects of dam safety viz. sustainable dam safety initiatives, Upgrading of existing dams, Uncertainties and Risk Management in Dams, Dam Safety Management Practices; and Integrated Flood Management for existing dams will be presented during the course of this conference.
- An exhibition has also been organised at the conference in which about 30 national and international organizations are showcasing contemporary developments in technology, materials, instrumentation and their application in addressing dam safety issues.
- A software programme Dam Health and Rehabilitation Monitoring Application(DHARMA) will also be launched during the conference. This programme is meant to digitize all dam related data.
Details about Dam Safety Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP):
DRIP is being run by Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation in the seven states – Jharkhand, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Uttarakhand.
- It was launched in the year 2012 with a financial outlay of Rs. 2100 crores.
- DRIP is a World Bank aided project.
- Objective of this project is to rehabilitate old dams across India that are in need of attention for ensuring their structural safety and operational efficiency.
- Besides, DRIP also aims to strengthen the institutional capacity and project management in the area of Dam rehabilitation.