About the Conference

The International Conference on Dam Safety-2023 is part of the series of Dam Safety Conferences organized under the aegis of the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP). The Conference is scheduled to be held in Jaipur, capital city of Rajasthan, during September 14-15 (Thursday and Friday), 2023.

Jaipur is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Jaipur is also known as the Pink City, due to the dominant colour scheme of its buildings. On 6 July 2019, UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed Jaipur the “Pink City of India” among its World Heritage Sites. It was one of the earliest planned cities of modern India, designed by Vidyadhar Bhattacharya.

Jaipur is a popular tourist destination in India and forms a part of the west Golden Triangle tourist circuit along with Delhi and Agra. It also serves as a gateway to other tourist destinations in Rajasthan such as Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Kota and Mount Abu

About the Organizers

This Conference is being organized by the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India in collaboration with the Rajasthan Water Resources Department, Central Water Commission, National Dam Safety Authority, MNIT Jaipur, WAPCOS Ltd, World Bank and the AIIB. The Conference is supported by reputed organizing partners, academic partners, DRIP Implementing Agencies, sponsors and media partners.

About DRIP

In order to improve the safety and operational performance of select existing dams in the country, Government of India is implementing the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) with external funding. Under the World Bank funded DRIP Phase-I programme, which was implemented during April 2012 to March 2021, 223 existing dams located in 7 States have been comprehensively audited and rehabilitated at a cost of Rs. 2,567 crore (US$273M).

After completion of DRIP Phase- I programme, Government of India has taken up DRIP Phase-II & III scheme. The scheme envisages rehabilitation and safety improvement of 736 dams located in 19 States, with a budget outlay of Rs. 10,211 Crore (US$ 1.5B). The scheme is of 10 years duration. DRIP Phase-II has become operational from 12th October 2021, and is being co-financed by the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank.

Dam Safety Act, 2021

Dams have contributed to the development of civilization for thousands of years and they also contribute in meeting the ever-increasing demands of drinking water, irrigation, hydropower, etc. and also to protect against destructive floods. Today, India ranks third globally after China and USA in terms of number of large dams. There are about 5300 completed & functional large dams in India and more than 400 are under construction stage; safety of these dams is of paramount importance. Majority of these dams (98%) are owned by the State Governments while the remaining is being owned by Central Public Sector Undertakings and private agencies. About 80% of these dams are more than 25 years of age and 234 dams are more than 100 years old. Ensuring the safety of the dams in India is primarily the responsibility of the dam owners.

To address the dam safety issues holistically, Union Government has enacted the landmark legislation on Dam Safety in 2021, culminating 40 years of journey to provide a comprehensive framework for safe functioning of dams. Provisions of the Act have come into force with effect from 30th December, 2023. This Act provides for proper surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of the specified dams for prevention of dam failure related disasters and to create an institutional mechanism to ensure their safe functioning.