12th Meeting of the National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS) held in New Delhi

📌 Summary:

• The 12th Meeting of the National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS), chaired by the Chairman, Central Water Commission, was held on 17 July 2026 in New Delhi with members from ten central ministries, seven States and dam-safety experts
• Progress under the Dam Safety Act, 2021 was reviewed — notification of regulations, technical guidelines and key dam-safety documents — with a push to expedite Emergency Action Plans, Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluations, O&M Manuals and Risk Assessment studies
• The Committee flagged emerging challenges: reservoir sedimentation, and dam surveillance and security against new threats, and agreed to draft a new regulation on surveillance/security of specified dams
• It decided to strengthen State Dam Safety Organisations, accredit investigation/design agencies, finalise frameworks for dam-failure reporting and expert panels, and develop guidelines on hazard classification and risk assessment
• Technical presentations covered recent dam failures — Luti Tank and Rajadera (Chhattisgarh), Teesta Stage-III (Sikkim), Madhopur barrage (Punjab) — and dredging at Bisalpur Dam (Rajasthan); capacity building via IIT Roorkee, IISc Bengaluru and regional NITs was agreed

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 (Disaster Management) — dam safety governance, risk and vulnerability of ageing water infrastructure, reservoir sedimentation and institutional mechanisms under the Dam Safety Act, 2021.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• NCDS is constituted under the Dam Safety Act, 2021; chaired by the Chairman, Central Water Commission (CWC)
• The Act also creates the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and State Dam Safety Organisations (SDSOs)
• Recent failures cited: Teesta Stage-III (Sikkim), Madhopur barrage (Punjab)

🔑 Key Term: Emergency Action Plan (EAP) — a pre-prepared plan for a dam detailing warning, evacuation and response measures in case of impending failure.