Kerala floods: Centre, World Bank team to visit state for safety audit of 28 dams

A joint team from the Centre and World Bank will visit Kerala next week for a post-flood safety audit of 28 dams in the state, a senior Central Water Commission official told The Indian Express. “The audit will look at the operation and maintenance manual of the dams, the emergency action plans in place for each dam, and the integrated reservoir operation in place,” the official said.

A joint team from the Centre and World Bank will visit Kerala next week for a post-flood safety audit of 28 dams in the state, a senior Central Water Commission official told The Indian Express. “The audit will look at the operation and maintenance manual of the dams, the emergency action plans in place for each dam, and the integrated reservoir operation in place,” the official said.

The 28 dams in Kerala fall under the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) that was cleared by the Cabinet on Wednesday. Of the 28 dams, 12 are maintained by the Kerala Water Resources Department and the remaining by the Kerala State Electricity Board.

“In Kerala, none of the dams have a dedicated flood cushion in place when it was planned. There is a need to relook at the rule curve that governs these dams,” the official said. A rule curve governs how the dam is filled during monsoon.

The Cabinet approved the revised estimated cost of DRIP at Rs 3,466 crore, of which the World Bank will provide Rs 2,626 crore, to “improve safety and operational performance of 198 dams”.

“The project will improve the safety and operational performance of selected existing dams and mitigate risks to ensure safety of downstream population and property. The primary beneficiaries are both urban and rural communities dependent on reservoir and downstream communities, who are prone to risk associated with dam failure or operational failure,” the cabinet statement said.

The scheme will look at 198 dams in seven states — Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand. “While the DRIP only focuses on 198 dams, which is only 4 per cent of the dams in India, the Ministry of Water Resources has approved a larger project that will cater to 725 dams in 18 more states,” said the official. The budget outlay is over Rs 11,000 crore, the official added.

Inter-ministerial team to assess Kerala flood damage

An inter-ministerial team, headed by a special secretary of the Home Ministry, will reach Kerala on Thursday for a five-day visit to assess the damage caused by the recent devastating floods, officials said.

At least 488 people died after heavy rainfall and flood hit 14 districts of the state this year. The team, headed by Special Secretary B R Sharma, will visit Kerala from September 20 to 24, a Home Ministry official said. The move comes after the Kerala government sent a detailed memorandum to the Centre, seeking Rs 4,700 crore as compensation for the damages.

As per guidelines, the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) will visit the state for on-the-spot assessment of damage and additional requirement of funds. The IMCT report will be considered by a sub-committee of National Executive Committee, headed by the Union Home Secretary, in conformity with the norms. It will then be considered by a high-level committee chaired by the Home Minister for approving the quantum of additional assistance from the NDRF, another official said.

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