Cabinet approves draft of dam safety bill

New Delhi, May 13 (ANI): The Union Cabinet today approved the proposal of the Ministry of Water Resources for enacting legislation on dam safety.

The Dam Safety Bill 2010 will be introduced in the next session of Parliament.

The new legislation will help the States in adopting uniform dam safety procedures, which shall ensure safety of dams and safeguard benefits from such dams.

It also provides for proper surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of dams of certain parameters (called specified dams) to ensure their safe functioning, and thereby protect persons and property against risks associated with dams failures.

Provisions have also been made in the legislation concerning the necessities of periodical inspections, instrumentations and establishment of hydrological and seismological stations.

The proposed measure also addresses the issues of emergency action plan and disaster management, and enlists the requirements of comprehensive dam safety evaluation.

This Bill seeks to enjoin responsibility on Central Government, State Governments and owners of specified dams to set up an institutional mechanism for ensuring safety of such dams and reporting the action taken.

The Bill addresses the issues of emergency action plan and disaster management, and also enlists the requirements of comprehensive dam safety evaluation. (ANI)