THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: KSEB has constituted a new state-specific Dam Safety Review Panel (DSRP), comprising Kerala Water Resources Department (KWRD), Geological Survey of India (GSI) and KSEB officials as members, for inspection of dams. Until now, the DSRP members were mostly from outside the country. But with Covid-19 proving to be a spoilsport, the government decided to form a panel from within the state.
The ongoing second phase of the project has World Bank funding assistance worth Rs 70 crore. Under DRIP I, a comprehensive rehabilitation and improvement of 223 dam projects coupled with institutional capacity building for safe and sustainable operations were enforced. If the first phase of DRIP had covered only five per cent of large dams in the country, the second phase is expected to address the safety concerns at other dams which have a larger financial outlay where safety aspects of more dams will be addressed.
