Confident of Centre’s nod for Mekedatu & Upper Krishna: D K Shivakumar

Siddaramaiah noted that nearly 70% of these dams are over 25 years old, underscoring the urgent need for systematic safety evaluation, modernisation and risk-informed operation.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the International Conference on Dam Safety at the Indian Institute of Science on Friday. 

The two-day conference highlights a set of varied themes such as international and national regulatory frameworks for dam safety, innovations in structural health assessment of dams and rehabilitation materials, Ageing Dams: State of Art Rehabilitation Practices, and risk-informed decision-making for safe dams, among others. 

Speaking at the event, the chief minister highlighted five points of importance with regard to dam safety. He noted that nearly 70% of these dams are over 25 years old, underscoring the urgent need for systematic safety evaluation, modernisation and risk-informed operation. 

“First, governments at the union and state levels must move beyond just compliance to comprehensive culture-building, ensuring that periodic inspections, safety audits, and emergency action plans are not treated as formalities but as living instruments of risk governance. Second, regulatory bodies and technical agencies must institutionalise risk-informed decision-making. Data from instrumentation, remote sensing and structural health monitoring systems must be integrated into real-time dashboards,” he said, also speaking on the roles of financial institutions, academic and research institutions, and local administrations. 

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who also holds the irrigation portfolio, spoke about a few key initiatives of keen interest to the state government. 

“We will execute the Mekedatu and Upper Krishna projects if the Centre gives approvals. We are confident that the Centre would give the necessary approvals,” he said.  

Karnataka is currently implementing the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Programme (DRIP) Phases 2 and 3, covering 58 dams with an approved outlay of Rs 1,500 crore, focusing on structural safety, surveillance, and long-term resilience. 

Regarding the tourism activities at dams, he said, “The dams currently have a 500-metre restriction on commercial activities, but it needs to be relaxed to promote tourism. It would help the local economy... On behalf of the government of Karnataka, I respectfully request reconsideration of the blanket 500-metre restriction under NDSA guidelines, allowing flexibility while ensuring uncompromised safety standards.” 

Johannes Zutt, World Bank’s vice-president for the South Asia region, also addressed the crowd at the inaugural session. The first day of the event also saw three discussions, with six discussions set to take place on Saturday on topics such as ‘Sediment Management in Reservoirs’ and ‘Dam Failure Case Studies: Lessons Learnt’.