India ranks third globally with 5334 large dams in operation and about 411 are under construction. In addition, there are several thousand smaller dams. These dams are vital for enstiruig the water security of the Country; and these also constitute a major responsibility in terms of asset management and safety.In April 2012, Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation through Central Water Commission with an objective to improve safety and operational performance of selected dams, along with institutional strengthening with system wide management approach, embarked upon the sL'tyear DamRehabilitationand Improvement Project (DRIP) with World Bank assistance at a costof INR 2100 Crore (US$M 437.5).
In April 2012, erstwhile Ministry of Water Resources initiated World Bank assisted Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP), to improve the safety and operational performance of selected dams, coupled with institutional strengthening through a system wide management approach. The Scheme had provision to rehabilitate 223 dams, located in 7 States Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand, with 10 Implementing Agencies on board. The budget outlay of the Scheme was Rs.3466 Cr. The Scheme successfully closed in March 2021. This Scheme addressed overarching pillars of dam safety like structural integrity, surveillance and maintenance, instrumentation and monitoring, design intrinsic risks, natural hazard risks, emergency and operational planning with adequate provision of capacity building including physical rehabilitation. Scheme has generated opportunities for Indian professionals to provide technical support to various African and South Asian Countries in the area of dam safety.