It has been found by the Himachal Pradesh government that out of the 23 dams in the state, 21 dams have violated safety norms. It has been said that action will be taken against their managements. According to officials, the lack of monitoring by government agencies is also being blamed for the violations.
Prabodh Saxena, the Chief Secretary said, “As many as 21 dams have not adhered to the safety norms and legal action will be taken against them.” He also added that directions have been given to officers for preparing a detailed report on the damage that has been caused because of the negligence of the dam authorities.
According to officials, some of the violators are the HP State Electricity Board-operated Larji hydroelectric project in Mandi and Jateon in Sirmaur, and HP Power Corporation-run Sawra Kuddu project in Shimla and Sainji in Kullu.
Himachal has 23 hydel projects with a total capacity of 9,203 megawatts (MW) run by agencies such as National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC), National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam. Limited (SJVNL) and Independent Power Producers (IPP). Another six 1,916 MW projects are under construction.
According to the officials, only the Kol Dam in Bilaspur and the Karcham Wangtoo project in Kinnaur adhered to the water release guidelines.
Officials attributed the flooding in low-lying areas of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the release of water from the Pong, Pandoh and Malana dams.
On safety issues regarding the discharge of water, Saxena while chairing a meeting on Friday, said that responsibility must also be fixed for the dam authorities failing to comply with the relevant provisions of the Dam Safety Act (DSA) and the Central Water Commission (CWC) guidelines of 2015.
It has also been stated by the chief secretary that the recent crisis in the state downstream of the reservoirs can be attributed towards the failure of the dam safety check, which was either neglected or not conducted as per the DSA standard guidelines.
Emphasized the need for regular risk assessment of dams and ensuring continuous operation of dam safety units, the Chief Secretary pitched state committee on dam safety and state dam safety organisation for functioning effectively.
According to the state emergency operation centre, 221 people have died in incidents related to rain since the onset of the monsoon on June 24 and about 11,900 houses have been damaged.
