View: Damned if you don't take care

The utter devastation wreaked on the coastal city of Derna in northeastern Libya this month has been of biblical proportions. Torrential rains from Storm Daniel burst two dams upstream from Derna, sending a wall of water crashing through the city centre that razed entire neighbourhoods. The death toll from the flooding has touched 11,300, and another 10,100 people are missing. There were two interlinked causes for the devastation: one, the Mediterranean storm, Daniel, that caused extensive flooding across eastern Libya; two, collapse of two 1970s-built dams on September 10 after they failed to withstand the heavy rainfall. However, blaming only Daniel is wrong. Political chaos for over a decade has made it hard for Libya to maintain its infrastructure. Officials knew the dams had structural damage, making them vulnerable to floods. But little maintenance was done.

In a climate-hit era when extreme weather events have become routine, India must learn from the Libyan disaster. India's dam infrastructure, especially the old ones, was not built to manage the precipitation risk climate change is causing. There are 234 functional large dams that are more than 100 years old. In March, a parliamentary panel red-flagged these dams and asked GoI to assess their lives and operations, and persuade states to decommission those that have outlived their lifespan.

Dams are essential for India's hydropower generation and irrigation requirements. Many have been built in the Himalayan areas for obvious benefits. But, as the 2021 dam disaster in Uttarakhand's Chamoli showed, building in eco-fragile zones has risks. It is vital to ensure that this crucial infrastructure is adequately maintained and regular inspections are conducted.