Dams

India has 1,065 dams 50-100 years old, 224 are hundred plus: Govt

India has 1,065 large dams that are between 50 and 100 years old while 224 are over a century old, the Jal Shakti Ministry said on Monday. There are a total of 6,138 constructed and 143 under-construction dams in the country. Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary said the government enacted the Dam Safety Act, 2021 to address the challenges posed by ageing dams and to prevent disasters arising from dam failures. He said dams, apart from serving irrigation and power generation purposes, play a significant role in mitigating floods. According to the National Register of Large Dams (NRLD-2023 edition), compiled jointly by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and CWC, there are 6,138 constructed and 143 under construction dams which aggregate to a total of 6,281 large dams. Of these numbers, only 224 dams are more than 100 years old and there are 1065 large dams which are 50 to 100 years old. Choudhary said the governm

Moderate flooding expected from glacial dam outburst in Alaska's capital

A flood warning was issued Saturday after an outburst from a glacial lake in Alaska's capital. Suicide Basin is a side basin of the Mendenhall Glacier above the city of Juneau. Since 2011 it has released glacier lake outburst floods each year that cause inundation along Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River. We expect moderate flooding from this event, not major flooding, said Nicole Serrin, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Juneau. Residents had 24 to 36 hours to prepare for flooding, she said. The flood warning was in effect until Monday. The forecast called for the river to crest at around 3.35 to 3.5 metres early that day, the weather service said. Officials warned people to stay away from the river. Recent snow has made the banks very slippery. Suicide Basin fills with rainwater and snowmelt during the spring and summer and at a certain point builds enough pressure to force its way out through channels it carves beneath Mendenhall Glacier

Chennai and parts of Tamil Nadu sees heavy rainfall, dams fill rapidly

Chennai and several parts of Tamil Nadu experienced 'extremely heavy rainfall' resulting in the dams getting filled up fast. During the past 24 hours till 8.30 on Wednesday, the Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, said it observed extremely heavy rainfall in many places. The Cholavaram reservoir in neighbouring Tiruvallur district received 302.6 mm rainfall on a single day when the Northeast Monsoon commenced on October 15. The Redhills lake, near here, received 279.2 mm rainfall while Chembarambakkam obtained 85 mm, Kannankottai Thervoy Kandigai: 62, Poondi: 60, and Veeranam: 50.20 mm rainfall. The water level in the Poondi, Cholavaram, Puzhal (Redhills), Kannankottai Thervoy Kandigai, Chembarambakkam, and Veeranam reservoirs in Chennai and suburbs increased steadily, the Water Resources Department said. The combined storage in these six dams stood at 41.61 per cent (5,502.17 mcft, as increase from 4,844.20 mcft on Tuesday) with a combined inflow of 6,789 cusecs water today.

Teesta Dam's power station destroyed after major landslide in Sikkim

The project was under restoration following the glacial outburst in October last year, which had caused significant damage

Govt to review design of dams vulnerable to glacial lake outburst floods

The government on Thursday said it will review the design of all existing and under-construction dams vulnerable to Glacial Lake Outburst Floods, ensuring these dams have adequate spillway capacity to handle extreme flood scenarios. A glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) is a type of outburst flood caused by the failure of a dam containing a glacial lake. Moreover, conducting GLOF studies has been made mandatory for all new dams planned in areas with glacial lakes. In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary said the Central Water Commission's measures include monitoring 902 glacial lakes and water bodies across the Himalayan region from June to October each year. "Subsequent to Teesta-III Hydroelectric dam collapse in October, 2023, Central Water Commission has decided to review the design flood of all the existing and under construction dams vulnerable to Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) to ensure their adequate .

Flood waters rise in Russia's Ural mountains, forcing thousands to evacuate

More than 6,100 people have already been evacuated from the city of 230,000, according to local authorities. Fifteen of 40 schools in the school had been flooded

Authorities in Russia, Kazakhstan evacuate thousands following dam burst

Authorities in Russia ordered residents to evacuate parts of the Orenburg-region city of Orsk ofter a dam burst, adding to existing flooding in the region

Libya dam collapse raises alarm bells for India's 234 dams over 100 yrs old

According to industry experts, the government should revisit the Dam Safety Act, taking the climate change issues into account

Fresh spell of rain boosts water level in major dams across Gujarat

The revival of monsoon activity in parts of Gujarat over the past few days has boosted the water level of reservoirs, with the stock in 207 major dams across the state rising to 93.44 per cent, officials said on Wednesday. Of these 207 major dams, the Sardar Sarovar dam built over the Narmada river, which is considered the lifeline of the state, currently has 3.33 lakh million cubic feet (mcft) of water, which is 99.73 per cent of its total storage capacity, a release by the Gujarat government said. As per the government figures, 54 dams are 100 per cent full, 90 dams, including the Sardar Sarovar Dam, have a water stock of 70 to 100 per cent of their storage capacity, 29 dams are filled up 50 to 70 per cent, 23 dams are filled up 25 to 50 per cent, while 10 dams have water less than 25 per cent of their capacity. In all, 104 dams in Gujarat are filled up to 90 per cent and they have been put on 'high alert' as a precautionary measure, the government release said. Parts of north ..

Patel Engineering JV bags Rs 1,275 crore project in Madhya Pradesh

Patel Engineering Limited (PEL) on Tuesday said its joint venture has bagged a Rs 1,275.30 crore order in Madhya Pradesh. The contract was awarded by Madhya Pradesh Jal Nigam, Patel Engineering said, adding its share in the JV project is Rs 446.36 crore. The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) project includes testing, commissioning, trial run and operations and maintenance. It is expected to be completed in 24 months, and its operations and maintenance will be carried out for 10 years. The Mumbai-based EPC firm has a strong presence in tunnels and underground works for hydroelectric and dam projects.

PFC to provide Rs 4,528 cr loan for DVC project to set up 1,320 MW project

State-owned Power Finance Corporation (PFC) has entered into a pact with Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) as part of which it will provide Rs 4,527.68 crore loan to set up a 1,320 MW project at Raghunathpur in West Bengal. The Raghunathpur Phase-II project -- a collaborative effort between PFC and DVC -- will contribute significantly to the power generation capacity in West Bengal, a PFC statement said on Friday. With a combined capacity of 1,320 MW, the project marks a key milestone in the region's energy landscape, it said. "PFC and DVC have successfully executed a loan agreement amounting to Rs 4,527.68 crore. This amount is earmarked for the realisation of the ambitious 2x660 MW Raghunathpur Phase-II project," the statement said. As the project progresses, PFC and DVC remain dedicated to ensure its successful implementation, adhering to the highest standards of efficiency, innovation, and environmental responsibility, the statement said. PFC is the country's largest non-bankin

Storage capacity of Maharashtra dams to increase by 230 mn litre: Official

The storage capacity of dams in Maharashtra's Akola district will increase by 23 crore litre because of the implementation of the state government's Galmukt Dharan Galyukt Shivar Yojana, an official said on Tuesday. Under the state government scheme, silt is dredged from dams and other water bodies to increase their storage capacity and it is then used on agricultural land to improve soil fertility. "With the help of the district administration, 23.05 lakh meters of silt has been dredged from water bodies so far and more than 600 farmers have used the same on 700 acres of agricultural land," district water conservation officer Haribhau Geete said. The exercise will increase the water storage capacity of dams in the district by 23 crore litre, he said. Some of the major dams in the district are Katepurna, Morna, Nirguna, Uma, Dagadparwa, and Van. "Non-governmental organisations are working to remove silt from 22 lakes and ponds and the silt is provided to farmers for free and it ha

Monitoring dam safety

Decommissioning should be a policy option

Joshimath crisis: Some other places at risk of sinking in Indian Himalayas

A sinking Himalayan town is highlighting the dangers posed to the region and the fragile ecology of the mountain range disturbed by a proliferation of dams, roads and military sites near China border

3,700 Indian dams will lose 26% storage capacity by 2050: UN study

Around 3,700 dams in India will lose 26 per cent of their total storage by 2050 due to accumulation of sediments which can undermine water security, irrigation and power generation in future, warns a new study by the United Nations. The Central Water Commission, had in 2015, reported that among 141 large reservoirs which are over 50-years-old, one quarter had lost at least 30 per cent of their initial storage capacity. Trapped sediment has already robbed roughly 50,000 large dams worldwide of an estimated 13 to 19 per cent of their combined original storage capacity. The study by the United Nations University Institute on Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), also known as the UN's think tank on water, shows that 6,316 billion cubic metre of initial global storage in 47,403 large dams in 150 countries will decline to 4,665 billion cubic metre, causing 26 per cent storage loss by 2050. The loss of 1,650 billion cubic metre storage capacity is roughly equal to the annual water u

Raise height of dams on rivers flowing into Karnataka: NCP's Jayant Patil

Amid the raging border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka, Nationalist Congress Party leader Jayant Patil has said Maharashtra should raise the height of the upstream dams to "rein in" the neighbouring state. The decades-old boundary dispute issue was raised in the legislatures of both the states on Tuesday. Speaking in the Maharashtra Assembly here on Tuesday, Patil said Karnataka was deliberately harassing Marathi-speaking people in its border areas. We should reply to what the Karnataka chief minister says in the same language. If they have so much attitude, then we will raise the height of dams on Koyna and Warna rivers and that of all the dams in Satara and Kolhapur districts. They (Karnataka leaders) would not be brought under control otherwise," the former Maharashtra water resources minister said. "If Karnataka holds us to ransom, then we have water, he added. The border issue dates back to 1957 after the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines. Maharashtra la

Flood alert in TN's Tiruvannamalai as water level rises in Sathanur dam

With the water level in Sathanur dam almost full, a flood alert has been issued in Tiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu

Water level in Kerala dam crosses 141 ft; second flood warning issued

An alert has been sounded by Kerala as the water level in Mullaperiyar Dam here crossed 141 ft on Wednesday. The district authorities here said the 'second flood warning' was issued as the water level in the reservoir touched 141 ft at 6 AM. "The water level reached 141.20 ft at 12 PM. If the excess water is released, it will reach the Idukki Reservoir in the downstream," an official source said. The maximum permissible limit of water storage in the dam is 142 ft, District Collector Sheeba George said in a statement. There are chances of releasing extra water by opening its shutters if the water level touches the maximum permissible limit, she said. The departments concerned and its heads should take emergency steps as per the government directives in this regard if there is any situation of releasing excess water. Necessary alerts should also be passed on to the local people and the media based on information from the District Emergency Operation Centre (DEOC), the statement add

US regulators to vote on largest dam demolition, river restoration in world

The largest dam demolition and river restoration plan in the world could be close to reality Thursday as US regulators vote on a plan to remove four aging hydro-electric structures, reopening hundreds of miles of California river habitat to imperiled salmon. The vote by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on the lower Klamath River dams is the last major regulatory hurdle and the biggest milestone facing a USD 500 million demolition proposal championed by Native American tribes and environmentalists for years. Approval of the application to surrender the dams' operating license is the bedrock of the most ambitious salmon restoration plan in history, and if approved the parties overseeing the project will accept license transfer and could begin dam removal as early as this summer. More than 300 miles (482.80 kilometres) of salmon habitat in the Klamath River and its tributaries would benefit, said Amy Souers Kober, spokeswoman for American Rivers, which monitors dam removals and

Eight out of 11 major dams in Maharashtra reached maximum storage capacity

Marathwada has already received 840 millimetres of rain this monsoon, or 123.62 per cent of the region's annual average rainfall of 679 millimetre