Interview/ Eric Halpin, dam and levee consultant
ERIC HALPIN, WHO WORKED as an adviser to India’s dam rehabilitation project, has only good things to say about India’s Dam Safety Act, 2021. But a lot is riding on its proper implementation as consequences of dam failure are much graver in India than in any other country, says Halpin, who was with the US Army Corps of Engineers for 40 years and is leading its Agency Dam and Levee Safety Programs. Excerpts from an interview:
How real is the impact of climate change on dam safety and management?
The effects of climate change on dam safety can now be directly estimated. All the dams and levees are now not only dealing with changes in rainfall patterns but also rise in sea levels, affecting the performance of the infrastructure. The harder part is the inland hydrology. The storms are now more frequent, intense and of longer durations. There is both too much water and too little water―droughts and floods. It is much harder to estimate spatial and time variability. Dams should now become one of the ways to mitigate the impacts of climate change. We should make them to either store more water in droughts or be more effective in flood control conditions to mitigate the downstream effects of flooding.
How can that be done?
It requires some changes in dam safety. One big challenge is to recognise that operations, particularly in a place like India, need to be more nimble. It means probably going from water operations based on water on the ground to water in the air. In the US, we call that forecast-based operations. It enables you to make early releases in case of a big storm or hold longer for a big drought. For India, the consequences of dam failure are much graver than any other country in the world. India has multiple dams with 10 million or more people living below them. Just a small change in hydrology can have a big effect on the dam’s performance.
What is your take on India’s Dam Safety Act?
India probably has one of the most, if not the most, modern dam safety legislation. There are a couple of reasons for it: One, it is fully risk-informed on par with the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many countries in Europe. Two, the way the Indian government is engaging with institutions like the World Bank for infrastructure funding and using it as a leverage with the states, nudging them to adopt risk practices. Dams are central to agriculture in India. Set aside the fact that people can be killed by a dam failure, the loss of water for irrigation could be even more consequential. There is a lot riding on what is in the law and what is in practice. The start has been very effective, but there is a tremendous amount of work to be done.