India’s ageing dams pose great safety risks, says study
The country must conduct cost-benefit analyses of its dams and undertake safety reviews. Representational image. | Sam Panthaky/AFP
India has 4,407 large dams of which more than 1,000 would be 50 years or older by 2025, a new study has shown.
Older dams pose greater safety risks, cost higher in terms of maintenance and have declining functionality due to sedimentation, stated a
study by the Canada-based
India must conduct a cost-benefit analysis of its ageing dams, and conduct timely safety reviews in order to ensure their operational and ecological safety, as well as the safety of those who inhabit the areas downstream, experts told
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Water levels in the Mekong River have fallen to “worrying” levels since the start of this year, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) said last week, as the region heads into a third straight year of below average rainfall.
In a statement on February 12, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) said that drought conditions, flow changes upstream, hydropower operations in the Mekong tributaries, and outflow restrictions from the Jinghong Dam in China were responsible for the fall.
“There have been sudden rises and falls in water levels immediately downstream of Jinghong and further down to Vientiane, which has been challenging for authorities and communities to prepare for and respond to possible impacts,” Dr Winai Wangpimool, director of the MRC Secretariat’s Technical Support Division, said in the statement.