Water commission recommends review of Mullaperiyar dam’s safety

In the report, CWC deputy director Rakesh Kumar Gautham said that the overall condition of the dam and its appurtenant structure based on visual inspection is found to be satisfactory.

KOCHI: In what could be seen as the result of Kerala’s consistent efforts to bring transparency in the operations of Mullaperiyar dam, the Central Water Commission (CWC) has stressed on the need to review the safety of the dam, in the latest status report submitted before the Supreme Court on January 25.

    In the report, CWC deputy director Rakesh Kumar Gautham said that the overall condition of the dam and its appurtenant structure based on visual inspection is found to be satisfactory. However, a fresh review of the safety of Mullaperiyar dam is due and is required to be undertaken.[Readmore]

Don’t go ahead with RDS right canal, Krishna River Management Board directs Andhra

Options available for viable resolution of the issue were discussed threadbare by the KRMB and officials of both the States at the meeting.

VIJAYAWADA: The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) has directed Andhra Pradesh not to proceed with the construction of Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) right main canal till the finalisation of Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT) II Award. 

    If agreed by all the three States, the study may be entrusted by the KRMB to the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) for carrying out physical and mathematical modelling for the intended objective.If a pact is reached by the three States on the recommendation of study, modernisation of the anicut and the head regulator may be undertaken and the cost can be shared in proportion to benefits accrued by each State.[Readmore]

Union Budget: Rs 86,189 crore allocated to Jal Shakti ministry

In the Union Budget 2022-23, the Jal Shakti Ministry was allocated a total of Rs 86,189 crore, higher from Rs 69,052 crore alloacted in the previous fiscal year. 

The Drinking Water and Sanitation Department has been granted Rs 67,221 crore in the Union Budget, which was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday, while the Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation has been allocated Rs 18,967.88 crore. 

Sitharaman said, Rs 60,000 crore has been allocated to provide tap water connections to 3.8 crore households in 2022-23 under the Jal Jeevan Mission. [Readmore]

Republic Day: Jal Shakti Ministry To Display 'Jal Jeevan Mission:Changing Lives' Tableau 

On Republic Day, the Jal Shakti Ministry will showcase how at an altitude of more than 13,000 ft in harsh winter, Jal Jeevan Mission is bringing improvement.

According to the ministry, during winters villages are scattered and rainfall is scarce

"Villages remain cut off from the rest of country for few months in a year due to closure of passes during winters. This affects the supply of materials badly. Further, most of the water sources are in inaccessible areas, in many areas of Ladakh the water bodies freeze in winters, a lot of labour is required for construction and the help of animals & helicopters is taken to lift and transport the material," added Ministry of Jal Shakti press release.

Jal Shakti Ministry's Republic Day tableau details

The tableau shows local women conducting water quality tests by using 'Field Test Kits (FTKs)'. Under the mission, more than 8.6 lakh women so far have been trained to ensure clean tap water to homes with the help of FTKs. Water testing laboratories in the country are now open for the public to get their drinking water tested.[Readmore]

Maharashtra: Green nod in, Aksa beach set for makeover

With all the clearances of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and Environment in, the anti-erosion sea wall, under two-feet in height, will come up at a cost of Rs 20 crore at the beach in the western suburbs of Mumbai.

The current plan has been chalked out considering all the CRZ norms. There will be no construction or concretisation activity which is why we have got all the approvals. The area chosen for the activity is also a mid-section for high and low tide. An inspection by the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS) and IIT-Bombay will be carried out on the quality of the revamp to ensure that the activity does not harm the beach,” said an official.[Readmore]

Parliament gives nod to Dam Safety Bill

Rajya Sabha had passed The Dam Safety Bill on December 2 with minor amendments, including changing the year in the title of the Bill from 2019 to 2021.

New Delhi: Parliament on Wednesday passed a bill that seeks to set up an institutional mechanism for the safety of specified dams in the country.

Rajya Sabha had passed The Dam Safety Bill on December 2 with minor amendments, including changing the year in the title of the Bill from 2019 to 2021.

Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat moved amendments to the Bill in Lok Sabha, which approved it with a voice vote.

The Bill provides for surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of the specified dams for the prevention of dam failure-related disasters. It provides for an institutional mechanism to ensure a safe functioning of the dams.[Readmore]

PM Modi to launch hydropower projects worth ₹11,000 crore in Himachal today

Built at a cost of ₹7,000 crore, the Renukaji Dam will optimally utilise the hydropower potential of the Himalayan region to bring benefits to as far away as national capital Delhi, which will be able to receive a water supply of around 500 million cubic meters per year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday visit Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation for hydropower projects worth more than ₹11,000 crore. Included among these is the Renukaji Dam project, lying pending for around three decades.

According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the completion of the 40-megawatt hydropower project was only made possible by the collective effort of six states—Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Delhi—at the behest of the central government.[Readmore]