Abhishek Shukla, Manager, Civil, Maithon Dam in West Bengal, is one of the very few engineers in the world who undertook a first-of-its-kind M. Tech course on dam safety and rehabilitation from IIT Roorkee last year. The course was started in 2021-22 after India felt a strong need to create exclusive dam experts to tackle the challenges being posed in managing dams due to climate change.
Abhishek Shukla was part of the first batch that passed out last year. IISc Bangalore is also teaching the course. “The course was academically very enriching. I got time to single-pointedly focus on the issues related to dam safety. Now I can scientifically prove a lot of things which I could not before attending the course,” Shukla told The WEEK. “I am now better equipped to handle complicated situations that often arise in the management of large reservoirs.”
Shukla says that the course will play a very big role in preparing dam experts in times to come. “This course will grow a lot.”
The course, which is first-of-its-kind in the world, is open to candidates from international countries. A reduced fee structure has been kept for the members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries.
According to the programme’s brochure, a total of 30 seats are offered – 22 for sponsored officers and 8 for GATE qualified fresh graduates. Five seats are reserved for foreign in-service engineers engaged in dam safety activities.
“Complying with the provisions of the Dam Safety Act is a mammoth task for which large number of technical manpower is required. This dedicated course on dam safety is targeted to prepare the professionals and create a knowledge workforce in the domain,” National Committee on Dam Safety chairman Kushvinder Vohra said.
The curriculum of the programme has been designed in a way that it brings the best of different departments together. Says Shukla, “The best thing about this course is that we get to see details on different aspects in one place, which is a very difficult task in the day-to-day functioning of any government organisation.”
As per IIT-Roorkee, the programme is jointly run by the departments of hydrology, civil engineering, earthquake engineering, water resources development and management. The faculty from departments of architecture, earth sciences, mechanical and industrial engineering have been specially drawn for this course.
Vohra says that the array of topics taken up in the course provides a technical edge to the professionals in better understanding of dam safety issues and possible solutions. “These engineers will be utilized as dedicated professionals to carry out various dam safety activities in their respective departments and impart training to more engineers in niche areas,” “The course also provides opportunity for dam owners to get their technical manpower trained.”