The Union Cabinet approved externally aided DRIP (Dam rehabilitation and improvement project) Phase II and Phase III in its meeting held on October 29, 2020.
- The project will initially cover Nineteen (19) States and three (3) Central Agencies.
- The Budget Outlay is Rs 10,211 Cr for an implementation period of ten (10) years. The scheme will be implemented in two Phases, each of six (6) years duration, with two (2) years’ overlap.
- DRIP Phase II is co-financed by World Bank (WB) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) with US$250 million each and covers large dams in 19 states of the country.
- The programme will fund physical rehabilitation of key dams as well as capacity building of dam operators in order to ensure availability of trained and skilled manpower for better operation of dams.
- India ranks third globally after China and the United States of America, with 5334 large dams in operation.
- About 411 dams are under construction at present.
- There are also several thousand smaller dams.
- These dams are vital for ensuring the water security of the Country. Indian dams and reservoirs play an important role in the economic and agricultural growth of our country by storing approximately 300 billion cubic meter of water annually.
- DHARMA: DHARMA (Dam Health and Rehabilitation Monitoring), a system to monitor the health of dams, has been developed and is, at present, being used by 18 states.
- SHAISYS: A seismic hazard analysis information system (SHAISYS) has also been developed.
(PIB)
