No major deficiency in 1,352 Maharashtra dams inspected, says report

MUMBAI: The latest report on dam safety has stated there are 297 dams in Maharashtra with "rectifiable deficiencies" which need immediate attention and another 1,055 have minor issues.

An official said the upside of the report was that none of the dams in the state have any major deficiency which could lead to failure.

The report studied 1,352 of the 1,358 dams in the state, he informed.


Of the 297 dams with rectifiable deficiencies, 94 dams are above 30 metres in height and are termed as Class I structures while the rest 203 are Class II with heights varying between 15-30 metres, an official explained.

"There are another 1,055 dams with minor deficiencies. Out of this, 171 are above 30 metres and 884 are between 15 to 30 metres in height. There are no dams with major deficiency which would lead to failure," he said.

Speaking about the six dams which have not been included in the report, he said, "Dahegaon and Waghdardi dams, both Class II structures, have not been inspected. Reports of Bhilawani, Manyad, Khasapur and Panharwadi, also Class II dams, have not been received."

He said all dams in the state are inspected two times a year, once before the monsoons between April and May and a second time around October 15 post-monsoon.

Dam safety in the state came back into focus sharply after Tiware dam, located in Chiplun tehsil of Ratnagiri district, breached late night on July 2, killing 18 people.