IIT Roorkee, Central Water Commission to jointly set up International Centre of Excellence for Dams

IIT Roorkee has received a grant of INR 108.99 crores for establishing the Centre of Excellence for Dams from the Ministry of Jal Shakti. The centre is being developed to create manpower having sufficient background and expertise in the area of dam safety.

A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) has been signed between Central Water Commission and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee for establishing the International Centre of Excellence for Dams (ICED) at IIT Roorkee in Shram Shakti Bhawan, Ministry of Jal Shakti, New Delhi.  

The International Centre of Excellence for Dams will focus on different safety and rehabilitation aspects of dams such as hydrological, hydraulic, structural, geotechnical, seismic safety evaluation, and reservoir sedimentation and silt control, etc. The centre is being developed to create manpower having sufficient background and expertise in the area of dam safety.  

The centre will be developed to deal with the complete life cycle of the dam in the longer run. Under the MoA, the Ministry of Jal Shakti under DRIP Phase II and III has provided a grant of INR 108.99 crore to IIT Roorkee for establishing the Centre of Excellence for dams. 

The International Centre for Dams shall initially focus on the reservoir sedimentation and silt control, and seismic hazard analysis and mapping in the initial two to three years.  In the coming years, the centre will be developed to deal with the complete cycle of dam safety starting from planning of a dam, design, construction, operation, and maintenance, including policy and financing. 

Conforming to the DRIP’s objectives, the centre will be aimed at promoting new technologies and improving institutional capacities for dam safety evaluation and implementation in India as well as in other countries for the existing dams to start with. Subsequently, the centre will also take up the tasks of the complete design of new dams in India as well as abroad. 

Prof KK Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee, said, "The formation of International Centre of Excellence for Dams (ICED) will empower 'Make in India' in dam safety, plus augment advanced research and developing technologies and application products. We are eager to contribute to the mission of the Ministry of Jal Shakti.” 

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