dam safety bill 2021
What is Dam Safety Bill?
The Bill proposes assisting /help all states and union territories in implementing uniform dam safety procedures.
It aims to cover dams
with a height of more than 15 meters and between 10 and 15 meters, subject to certain conditions.
establish two national institutions for this purpose:
1 National Committee on Dam Safety
to develop dam safety policies and recommend necessary regulations, with a three-year tenure.
comprised of the chairman of the Central Water Commission (CWC), a maximum of ten representatives of the central government in the ranks of joint secretary.
a maximum of seven representatives of state governments, and three experts.
2 National Dam Safety Authority
which is responsible for implementing policies and resolving unresolved disputes between two states.
The Act mandates that the Authority's headquarters be established in Delhi.
The legislation also calls for the development of State Dam Safety Organisations and State Committees on Dam Safety.
Owners of dams shall be held liable for their construction, operation, maintenance, and oversight.
Why is it necessary to have a dam safety law?
वर्ल्ड में पोजिशन ?
With 5,745 major dams in operation, India ranks third in the world.
कितने पुराने ?
According to the Central Dam Safety Organisation (CDSO) of the Central Water Commission (CWC), 67 dams were built before the twentieth century .
and 1,039 dams were erected during the first 70 years of the twentieth century, according to the National Register of Large Dams published in June 2019.
पुराने होने से क्या दिक्कत है ?
The ageing of dams in the country has been a source of concern for water sector players.
According to The Hindu, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat told the Rajya Sabha
- that 42 dam failures had occurred since 1979, with the most recent being the Annamayya reservoir in Andhra Pradesh's Kadapa region, which killed at least 20 people in November 2021.
Despite the fact that the CWC, along with the CDSO, has served as the apex authority to advise States on dam safety issues.
there is no explicit क्लियर Central law that covers the matter, given that dam ownership and upkeep is mostly a state responsibility.
Although most dams in India are built and maintained
by states, some of the larger dams, such as the Damodar Valley Corporation or the Bhakra Beas Management Board of the Bhakra-Nangal Project, are controlled by autonomous groups.
Why is the Bill being criticised?
Several states, including Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha, have opposed the legislation in the last decade on the grounds that
1 .it infringes on the sovereignty of states to manage their dams
2 .as the states are concerned about retaining control over the dams, autonomy, and ownership of the assets.
Experts also questioned the legislation's constitutionality, pointing out that
3 water is a state subject.
4 .Another shortcoming cited was the failure to pay compensation to people affected by dam projects.
5 .Tamil Nadu has been a vocal opponent of the bill because it fears losing control of four dams in Kerala.
Mullaperiyar Dam, whose structural stability and safety have been questioned for more than 40 years, and Parambikulam Dam, an important reservoir that serves the irrigation needs of Tamil Nadu's western districts, including Coimbatore.
Source india time
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