India has about 6000 large dams, the highest number of dams in the world. Many of these large dams are getting old, and their safety is of immense concern to India. The Government of India, with support from the World Bank, has initiated a multi-billion-dollar Dam Rehabilitation Improvement Project’ (DRIP) program to improve dam safety and rehabilitate dams for greater effectiveness. The aim of DRIP is to increase the safety of selected dams in participating States and strengthen dam safety management in India. The DRIP program includes 19 States and 3 Central Agencies in India.

During February 5-9, Western Sydney University organised a week-long workshop (February 5-9) and field visits for a total of 13 senior professionals from the Federal Water Ministry (Ministry of Jal Shakti), Government of India and the World Bank delegation from India, Singapore and Indonesia. This workshop was part of the technical exchange between Australia and India in India’s DRIP program. Water security is crucial to both countries, and this project is one of many led through the Australia India Water Centre collaboration that is tackling this shared challenge.

The Australian Water Partnership (the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) supported the workshop. It is a significant collaboration between the Water NSW, Australia India Water Centre, the World Bank, India’s Central Water Commission, and other NSW State Government Agencies, including Dam Safety NSW and State Emergency Services.

The workshop included presentations from Water NSW, Dam Safety NSW, SES and Western Sydney University on risk assessment, dam operation and maintenance, Dam Safety Act, flood disaster management, Gender Equality, Diversity and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) and community engagement. Workshop participants were involved in group work, presentation and panel discussion. The participanst had the opportunity to visit dam sites across NSW, including Warragamba, Manly and Grahamstown Dam in the Hunter region.