NEW DELHI, June 20 (Xinhua) -- The Indian government has proposed to enact a new law for the protection and safety of dams across the country, said official sources on Wednesday.
The new law, named "Dam Safety Bill, 2018", aims to develop countrywide procedures to ensure the safety of dams.
At present there are around 5254 large dams in operation in the country, and another 447 under construction, besides thousands of other medium and small dams.
Over the past five years, India had invested substantially in dams and related infrastructures, and ranks third after the United States and China in the number of large dams.
According to official estimates, 75 percent of the large dams in India are more than 25 years old and nearly 164 dams are even more than 100 years old.
A badly maintained, unsafe dam can be a hazard to human life, flora and fauna, public and private assets and the environment.
The "Dam Safety Bill, 2018" addresses all issues concerning dam safety, including regular inspection of dams, emergency action plan, comprehensive dam safety review, adequate repair and maintenance funds for dam safety, instrumentation and safety manuals.
