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A new study by the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal has found that dams and reservoirs across India have lost nearly half of their storage capacity because of heavy sedimentation, reducing their ability to generate electricity and safeguard communities against floods and droughts.
The study, published in the international journal Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment (SERRA), examined government records for more than 300 large reservoirs with storage exceeding 100 million cubic metres.
Results show several dams have already lost over 50% of their designed storage. By 2050, many more, particularly in the Himalayan region, the Narmada-Tapi basin, the Western Ghats, and Indo-Gangetic Plains, are expected to reach this level. Agriculture-driven soil erosion, deforestation, and flooding are identified as key causes.
“India’s Dam Safety Act, 2021, was enacted to strengthen structural inspections and prevent failures across more than 5,700 large dams. But our study highlights that safety cannot be limited to walls and gates alone. A reservoir that loses half its storage may not collapse but becomes functionally ‘unsafe’ by failing the communities that depend on it,” said Dr Somil Swarnkar, assistant professor at IISER Bhopal, who led the study.
Experts stress an expanded focus on sediment management including catchment afforestation, upstream soil conservation, check dams, sediment flushing systems, and regular hydrographic surveys.
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Prof. Rajiv Sinha, from the Department of Earth Sciences at IIT Kanpur, is recognized for his significant research on dams and reservoirs. He emphasised that Swarnakar’s study provides highly useful and actionable insights for central government agencies, particularly in the areas of management, safety assessment, and ecological impact mitigation of major water infrastructure. “His study is highly useful. The agencies working in this area can get the idea from his study about what and where they have to focus,” said Prof Sinha.The IISER study delivers a clear warning: India must stop viewing dams as permanent assets. Without proactive management, decades of investment risk being undone as reservoirs silently choke with silt. According to researchers, by 2050 multiple major reservoirs may become incapable of serving their intended functions, exposing millions to water insecurity, energy shortages, and flood disasters.
(With TOI inputs)
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