About

• The Dam Safety Act, 2021 was passed by the Parliament as a response to deficient surveillance and maintenance causing dam failure-related disasters.

Key Features of the Act

Objective

• The Act proposes to help all states and Union Territories adopt uniform dam safety procedures. 
• It provides for the surveillance, inspection, operation, and maintenance of all specified dams across the country. 
  • These are dams with height more than 15 metres, or height between 10 metres to 15 metres with certain design and structural conditions. This includes dams on both inter-state and intra-state rivers.

National Committees

• The Act constitutes two national bodies: the National Committee on Dam Safety, whose functions include evolving policies and recommending regulations regarding dam safety standards; and the National Dam Safety Authority as a regulatory body for ensuring the nationwide implementation of dam safety policies and standards.

State Bodies

• It also constitutes two state bodies: State Committee on Dam Safety (SCDS), and State Dam Safety Organisation (SDSO). 
  • These bodies will be responsible for the surveillance, inspection, and monitoring the operation and maintenance of dams within their jurisdiction.
• SDSO must also report events such as dam failures to the National Dam Safety Authority and also maintain records of major dam incidents of each specified dam.

Penalties

• An offence under the Act can lead to imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine, or both.