Dams are critical components of the river basin infrastructure in India. There are 5187 large dams in India (4839 completed and 348 under construction). Many of these structures are old, maintained poorly and the knowledge on their actual safety and state of operation is limited. The dams are aging further, but are also facing different circumstances than when designed, often decades or more ago. The water reservoirs, created by these dams, are of vital importance to the rural and urban areas in India. They provide water for drinking, irrigation of the land (food production), are used to generate electricity (water and energy) and offer protection against flooding (safety).
The overarching goal of the pilot project is to enhance dam safety and water management in India, and at the same time, to strengthen the position of the Dutch water sector. This goal is achieved by deliverance of the following set of actions (summary):
- Pilot case of the Bhadra dam and reservoir to demonstrate risk-based dam safety analyses, online monitoring system, satellite deformation measurements and forecasting and early warning system (FEWS) by integrating Delft-FEWS software.
- Inviting local staff of KaWRD to the Netherlands for on-the-job training and capacity development.
- Organising sessions during the project execution with stakeholders, end-users and the wider water and dam safety community in order to demonstrate the participatory approach as well as to disseminate project results.
- Disseminate project results through scientific papers, conference presentations and a website
- Enhance cooperation between the consortium partners
- Identifying in-depth the potential for future application and upscaling.
- Reach out to new end-users (other dam owners and authorities) in India to generate business.
