The Central Water Commission (CWC) has complies the siltation data of 243 reservoirs in the country of which seven reservoirs belong to Jharkhand, which is one of the seven States where Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Programme (DRIP) is being implemented. Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation Sanjeev Kumar Balyan informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday in a reply to the question raised by Rajya Sabha member Parimal Nathwani.
According to the statement of the minister, the CWC has compiled siltation data of Getalsud on Subarnarekha river, Konar on Konar river, Maithon on Barakar river, Mayurakshi on Mayurakshi river, Panchet and Tenughat on Damodar river and Tilaiya on Barakar river. There are three dams of Jharkhand included under DRIP for improvement of safety level, said the statement.
The statement also said that DRIP envisages the enhancement of safety and operational performance of existing 225 dams, in addition to building the institutional capacity of the Dam Safety Organisations of the participating states and Central Dam Safety Organisation in CWC. The project is being implemented with financial assistance from World Bank at an estimated cost of Rs. 2100 Crore, in seven states of India, namely, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jharkhand (DVC) and Uttarakhand (UJVNl). The Six years project had started with effect from 18th April, 2012, said the statement.
Nathwani wanted to know about the need of dredging, cleaning, beautification of water reservoirs in the country, requirement of proper infrastructure, the government’s plan to support such reservoirs across India and the steps taken by the Government to overcome the existing problems and enhance the infrastructure.
According to the statement of the minister, maintenance and operation of reservoirs is prime responsibility of dam owners who are generally State Governments or Central Agencies like BBMB, NHPC etc. In order to supplement the efforts of the State Governments, Ministry of Water Resources.
River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation provides technical and financial assistance to encourage sustainable development and efficient management of water resources through various schemes and programmes such as Extension, Renovation and Modernisation (ERM) and Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Programme (DRIP), said the statement.
The minister also stated that for reservoirs de-siltation / beautification works, in addition to other dam safety works, four dam projects of Tamil Nadu viz Pillur, Kundahpalam, Marvakandi & Papanasam Diversion Weir, one dam of Uttarakhand viz Maneri Bhali and one dam of Odisha viz Hirakud are included in DRIP.