The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has constituted a seven-member panel for evaluating the safety of dams managed by it. This is in line with the Dam Safety Act, 2021, enacted by the Union government for improving the safety of dams across the country.The panel chaired by former Central water Commission member J. Chandrashekhar lyer has geophysical and geotechnical safety experts, hydraulic safety experts and experts on hydro-mechanics and electrical safety, structural engineering, instrumentation and earthquake safety as members.As per the Central regulations, the first comprehensive safety evaluation of each dam should be carried out within five years from the date of commencement of the Act. Thereafter, it needs to carried out every ten years, or, earlier if the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) requires it.The comprehensive evaluation will consist of review and analysis of available data on the design, construction, operation, maintenance and performance of the structure. It will also cover hydrologic and hydraulic conditions, a general assessment of seismic safety, and in certain cases, a site-specific seismic parameters study.The experts were picked from a list published by the NDSA, according to the KSEB. The Dam Safety Act, 2021, states that “the owner of a specified dam shall make or cause to be made Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluation of each specified dam through an independent panel of experts constituted as per regulations for the purpose of determining the conditions of the specified dam and its reservoir.”A multi-tiered institutional framework at the national level and in the States to oversee the safe operation of dams is a requirement under the Act.Published - October 07, 2025 06:58 pm IST