Centre should have consulted states on Dam Safety Bill

States think the Bill is an encroachment into their jurisdiction

The Dam Safety Bill passed by parliament puts in place a much-needed mechanism for the upkeep and maintenance of large dams. But as in the case of many other legislations, the government did not pay heed to the views of Opposition parties on the Bill. The Opposition had wanted the Bill to be sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee for further scrutiny. But the government did not agree and the motion for this was defeated. The Bill has a long history. A law for the protection of dams was first proposed as early as 1980s. But there was no agreement on the provisions of a bill drafted for it. A bill was finally introduced in 2010 which also faced opposition. The objections to the current Bill have much to do with the fear of states that their rights and powers with respect to the dams in their territory would be affected. Most of the dams in the country are constructed, operated, managed and maintained by states. So many of them think that the Bill is an encroachment into their jurisdiction and would constrain their powers.

The Bill aims to provide for surveillance, inspection and maintenance of dams and prescribes institutional mechanisms to ensure their safe functioning. A National Committee of Dam Safety comprising the Chairman of the Central Water Commission and Central and state officials will be formed. There will also be state-level water commissions. A National Dam Safety Authority, to be headquartered in Delhi, will also be set up. These bodies have various functions like investigation and collection of data pertaining to the safety and protection of dams. The legislation proposes uniform dam safety standards, aims to evolve policies and regulations and stipulates punishment for violating the rules. It also proposes a system for regular inspections, studies and action plans.

There are 5,745 large dams in the country. India has the third-largest number of large dams in the world, after the US and China. About 300 of them are over 100 years old and over 1,000 are over 50 years old. Many of them are built with mud before the age of cement and have been weakened. They need constant care and upkeep. In fact, all the dams need proper maintenance especially because natural disasters are more frequent now, induced by climate change and other factors. Many dam-related mishaps have happened in the country and the latest was the Rishiganga dam failure in Uttarakhand earlier this year. While the legislation was needed to set up mechanisms to deal with them, the Centre should have taken the state governments on board and allowed greater scrutiny of the proposals before finalising them and getting the Bill passed by parliament.

Watch latest videos by DH here: