- Why in news
- The International Conference on Dam Safety (ICDS 2026) was held in Bengaluru on 13-14 February 2026 under DRIP Phase II & III. The Ministry of Jal Shakti, Karnataka and the World Bank organised it.
- What it is
- DRIP is a World Bank-assisted programme of the Ministry of Jal Shakti to rehabilitate and improve ageing dams and strengthen the institutions that manage them. Its Phase II & III cover dams in many States, with the Central Water Commission as the key technical agency. It supports implementation of the Dam Safety Act, 2021.
- Organisers
- The conference was organised by DoWR, RD&GR (Jal Shakti), the Karnataka Water Resources Department, with CWC, IISc Bengaluru and the World Bank.
- Scale of dam stock
- India has over 6,500 specified dams that need rehabilitation and modernisation.
- DAMCHAT
- An AI-powered platform from ICED, IIT Roorkee, was launched at the event.
- Legal backing
- The Dam Safety Act, 2021 provides for dam surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance, and set up the National Committee on Dam Safety and the National Dam Safety Authority.
Don’t confuse with DRIP vs Dam Safety Act, 2021: DRIP is a funded rehabilitation project with World Bank support. The Dam Safety Act, 2021 is the law that sets the safety regulatory framework.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Ageing dams pose risks to lives, farms and energy supply, so rehabilitation protects public investment.
- Digital tools and harmonised standards can improve monitoring and risk-informed decisions.
Problems
- States and dam-owning agencies must implement the Dam Safety Act, 2021 on time.
- Climate risks, sedimentation and ageing structures strain older dams.
Way forward
- Use data-driven monitoring and risk-based decision making across States.
- Share international best practices and build capacity of dam owners and regulators.
Put in your answer
Dam Safety Act, 2021: Cite it as the legal framework for dam safety, whose implementation by States is stressed as essential.
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UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Dam safety is a lasting topic with the Dam Safety Act on file, but this conference gives few testable facts and little debate.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.