Rains apart, blame the dams for Maharashtra, Karnataka floods.

GS-I: Rains apart, blame the dams for Maharashtra, and Karnataka floods.

Context

With Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala among other states under the deluge, questions are being raised over their flood management system. The disaster aggravates by the release of water from overflowing dams in the region at the same time that relentless rainfall hits it.

Cause of recent floods

Mismanagement on releasing the water from various dams worsened the flood situation in the Kolhapur, Sangli, and Satara districts of Maharashtra.
The dams, that were supposed to help moderate the flood situation, instead ended up exacerbating it.
Due to uncertainty in rainfall and fear of dry conditions in future, dam operators think of storing as soon as the water is available but that proves costly during flood fury as then there is no alternative but to release all the inflow downstream.

Resilient to climate change?

The 5,745 reservoirs in the country, of which, 293 were more than 100 years old. The age of 25 per cent of dams was between 50 and 100 years and 80 per cent were over 25 years old.
These dams pose a serious risk due to their ageing and structural deterioration.
Dams that span decades, experience differential settlement of the foundation, clog of filters, an increase of uplift pressures, reduction in freeboard, cracks in the dam core, loss of bond between the concrete structure and embankment, reduction in slope stability in earthen and rockfill dams, erosion of earthen slopes, and deformation of dam body itself.
Thus, dam components lose strength differently during their lifetime and every component within a large dam ages at a different rate. Hence, as a dam ages, the impact of the erosion of earthen components, through the dam body and foundations, and sedimentation occur at a rate different (or adverse) than what has been assumed by the policymakers and planners.

Conclusion

“In the era of climate change, following the rule curve is still more urgent. This is because we do not know when and how the rainfall will increase or decrease”.

Source: The Hindu

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