NHRC seeks report on safety of dams | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought an action taken report from the Ministry of Jal Shakti within 15 days regarding the safety of dams across India, including Hirakud, Hadgad and some other dams in Odisha.
The commission passed this order on Feb 14 after reviewing a petition filed by a rights activist highlighting the potential danger to people living on riverbanks due to the age of the dams.
According to the petition, India, which is home to the third-highest number of large dams in the world, urgently requires a transparent, accountable, and participatory dam safety mechanism.
“Out of 5,745 large dams in the country, 5,334 are operational. Out of these operational dams, 234 have outlived their lifespan of 100 years, due to which the people living in the catchment area and besides the rivers are prone to disasters due to weak dams in India,” Radhakanta Tripathy said in the petition.
The commission deemed the concerns raised in the petition as significant violations of human rights. “Accordingly, the registry of the NHRC is directed to send a copy of the complaint to the Centre to examine the matter and submit the report expeditiously within a period of 15 days,” the NHRC order read.
The commission passed this order on Feb 14 after reviewing a petition filed by a rights activist highlighting the potential danger to people living on riverbanks due to the age of the dams.
According to the petition, India, which is home to the third-highest number of large dams in the world, urgently requires a transparent, accountable, and participatory dam safety mechanism.
“Out of 5,745 large dams in the country, 5,334 are operational. Out of these operational dams, 234 have outlived their lifespan of 100 years, due to which the people living in the catchment area and besides the rivers are prone to disasters due to weak dams in India,” Radhakanta Tripathy said in the petition.
The commission deemed the concerns raised in the petition as significant violations of human rights. “Accordingly, the registry of the NHRC is directed to send a copy of the complaint to the Centre to examine the matter and submit the report expeditiously within a period of 15 days,” the NHRC order read.
