Kerala’s comprehensive dam safety assessment is progressing slowly as the deadline looms

The Kerala State Electricity Board, which has 38 dams, has completed a comprehensive dam safety assessment on eight, while the water resources department, which has 22 dams, has completed the exercise on four. (Photo for representation)

With just five months to go before the deadline, progress on the Comprehensive Dam Safety Assessment (CDSE) has been slow in Kerala due to a combination of factors, including delays caused by the southwest monsoon and issues related to timely availability of expert panel members.

The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), which has 38 dams, has completed CDSE on eight (as mentioned in the order dated June 25, 2026), while the Water Resources Department, which has 22 dams, including the Aruvikkara dam managed by the Kerala Water Authority (KWA), has completed the exercise on four.

Looking for an action plan

KSEB has now asked its Chief Engineer (Civil Dam Safety) for a “detailed action plan” within 15 days to complete CDSE on all its dams by November 2026. The utility is also exploring the possibility of deploying more expert panels. To speed up the work, KSEB has added two more members to its existing panel – an expert in hydraulic and hydrological safety and an expert in civil engineering and earthquake safety, monitoring and instrumentation.

States, including Kerala, are in a race against time as dam owners are required to complete the first CDSE by an independent panel of experts within five years of the commencement of the Dam Safety Act, 2021. Under this requirement, the deadline will expire on December 31, 2026.

Apart from the southwest monsoon which made inspections difficult, the KSEB and the water resources department are also facing the fact that some of the experts in their respective panels are also in the CDSE panels of other states.

The KSEB has brought this issue to the notice of the June 25 order. “While the CDSE of eight dams has been completed, the availability of experts in the existing panel (KSEB) has become a constraint in planning and conducting inspections as they are also engaged in similar tasks by other states,” it said. In the case of the Water Resources Department’s panel, three of its experts are also members of similar panels from other states.

Slow nationally

Officials attached to the CDSE say progress in the exercise has been slow even at the national level. The initial delay caused the center to delay in releasing the CDSE template. Even now, there are states that have not yet started working on the assessment, they said.

Meanwhile, the Union government is likely to review the progress of work in all states later this month. In January this year, the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) increased the remuneration/meeting fee for the chairman to ₹7,500 per day with a maximum of ₹75,000 per month and for members to ₹6,500 per day with a monthly maximum of ₹65,000.

The CDSE seeks to review and structurally analyze the “design, construction, operation, maintenance, and performance” of dams, assess hydrologic and hydraulic conditions, flood control aspects, and seismic safety, and evaluate other conditions that may threaten their structural integrity.

Published – 03 Jul 2026 17:51 IST