Uma Bharti calls for maintaining our vast dam resources in safe condition workshop

Uma Bharti, a minister of Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has stressed the need for maintaining our vast dam resources in safe condition by recounting the dam incidents that have played havoc in the past. Inaugurating a workshop on lessons learnt from the ongoing Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) in New Delhi yesterday she said, before releasing excess water from dams appropriate precautions need to be taken and people downstream should be warned to ensure their preparedness to reduce the consequences and prevent loss of life. She commended the good work being done under the ongoing dam rehabilitation and improvement project and exhorted all the State Governments to identify the dams which are in need of rehabilitation and take appropriate actions to ensure their safety and operational performance. While referring to the abundance of water resources in India, the Minister said, “We are not fully harnessing these resources and even our existing dams are not operating at their optimal efficiency”. She also emphasized the need for exploring the tourism potential of our existing dams and exploit the same.