Draft:International Centre of Excellence for Dams


International Centre of Excellence for Dams is a Centre that will act as a technological arm of the Ministry of Jal Shakti to provide specialized technical support in investigations, modelling, research and innovations, and technical support services for the Indian and overseas dam owners.

An MoA was signed on February 14, 2023, with the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Central Water Commission, New Delhi and the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) for the establishment of the International Centre of Excellence for Dams (ICED) at IIT Roorkee under DRIP Phase II and Phase III.

The vision of the ICED is to develop the Centre as the most advanced Centre globally to provide advanced engineering solutions to emerging dam design safety and rehabilitation challenges.

The Centre will work for agreed dam safety areas to support the Ministry and provide solutions to various emerging challenges faced in dam safety through scientific research. It will also carry out applied research, education, and technology transfer in dam safety management at local, regional, national, and international levels.

The specific objectives of the formation of ICED are as follows.

  • To empower 'Make in India' in dam safety by undertaking advanced research and developing technologies and application products.
  • ICED is committed to enabling fast-track innovations. This commitment ensures that the Centre will always be at the forefront of providing the most appropriate solutions to various challenges in dam safety for the agreed working areas, giving stakeholders a sense of reassurance.
  • ICED is dedicated to creating a pool of competent manpower for dam-owning agencies and industry. This workforce will be equipped with state-of-the-art theoretical and practical know-how, instilling confidence in the future of dam safety management.
  • Self-sufficiency in providing (a) Solutions through scientific studies, (b) Technology development

ICED faculty/ engineers will work towards an in-depth understanding of the problems about the focused areas faced by the dam-owning agencies to offer practical recommendations and position their R&D activities accordingly.

Main Functions of ICED

  • Master's and Ph.D. programs in Dam safety and rehabilitation for Indian and overseas dam officers.
  • Carry out fundamental and applied research in Dam engineering and develop world-class research labs.
  • Develop partnerships with leading organizations in India and overseas.
  • Provide short-term training programs and consultancy to dam owners in India and abroad.

Focus Areas of Centre

  • Seismic hazard mapping and analysis
  • Reservoir sedimentation & silt control and management
  • Inflow forecasting for dams
  • Comprehensive risk assessment
  • Longer run- Complete life cycle of dams

Strengths of ICED

  • Leveraging 176 years of excellence achieved by IITR.
  • 15 Joint Faculty, 19 Associated Faculty members & 1 Professor of Practice.
  • 25 Experts from CWC & other National and International experts.
  • Master's degree successfully awarded to 38 students.
  • Post-doctoral Fellows, Technical Officers, Research Scholars, Research Associates and other technical & ministerial staff.
  • A physical modelling lab will be used to carry out the sediment studies.
  • Solutions to specific problems by undertaking consultancy projects.
  • MoUs with Industrial partners for lab development.
  • MoUs with leading universities for student exchange and research collaborations: Under process.
  • Organization of short-term training programs for dam professionals.

Research and Consultancy Areas of Centre

  • Seismic hazard mapping and analysis
  • Sediment Management in Reservoirs
  • Inflow Forecasting for the dams
  • Comprehensive risk assessment of dam(s)
  • Physical modelling of Hydraulic Structures
  • Hydrologic Safety Evaluation, Dam break, EAP, etc.
  • Impact of Climate Change on Dams and Power Projects
  • Geotechnical Safety Evaluation of Dams
  • Hydraulic design of dams, spillways, and energy Dissipators
  • Structural design of dams, spillways, and energy   Dissipators
  • Instrumentation in dams
  • Seepage through Dams
  • Ground Improvement and Geo-synthetics
  • ROVs and RS, and Spatial technology
  • AI, machine learning, ANN, MATLAB, R, and Python applications in Dam Engineering

References

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