As many as six dams owned and operated by Meghalaya Power Generation Corporation Limited (MPGCL) will be rehabilitated under the second and third phases of Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP).
Umiam Stage-I Dams (Concrete Dam, Umiam Stage-I Dyke-I and Umiam Stage-I Dyke-II), Umiam-Umtru Stage-III Concrete Dam, Umiam-Umtru Stage-IV Concrete Dam and Myntdu Leshka Stage-I Concrete Dam.
The initial proposed financial outlay for the project was Rs 109 crore which was later revised and submitted to Central Water Commission (CWC) at Rs 441 crore. The World Bank has finalised the amount of Rs 441 crore for these six dams in Meghalaya.
The funding pattern of the project will be in the ratio of 80 (Loan) and 20 (Counterpart) for a Special Category State like Meghalaya. 80 per cent of the cost will be financed by the World Bank as loan component to the Government of India.
90 per cent of the loan component will be passed on to the Government of Meghalaya as grant and 10 per cent will be borne by the State government as Loan. The balance 20 per cent shall be counterpart funding by the State government.
The Meghalaya Power Generation Corporation Limited (MPGCL) has recently invited bids for the project.
The primary beneficiaries of the project are the communities that live in dam breach flood inundation areas and the communities that depend on water, irrigation and electricity services provided by the dams that could be compromised by poor dam performance or failure.
In addition to saving lives, improved dam safety will avoid potential flood damage to houses, farm areas, infrastructure (roads, bridges, other public and private infrastructures) and industrial and commercial facilities.
Improved dam safety will also reduce the likelihood of service interruptions due to dam failure as well as potentially improving dam service provision, overall efficiency and storage capacity, including during drought periods.
The Ministry of Jal Shakti has initiated DRIP Phase II and Phase III by inviting proposals from the states. This new scheme has 19 states, and three central agencies on board. The budget outlay is Rs 10,211 crore (Phase II: Rs 5107 crore; Phase III: Rs 5104 crore) with rehabilitation provision of 736 dams.
The Phase II of DRIP is being co-financed by World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), whereas funding for Phase III will be triggered at a later stage.
The scheme is of ten years duration, proposed to be implemented in two phases, each of six year duration with two years overlap.
Each phase has external assistance of US$500 Million. The Union cabinet approved the scheme on October 29, 2020.
DRIP Phase II and Phase III are State Sector schemes with Central components and back to back loan arrangements. DRIP had no central grant.
The scheme is planned for operationalisation in October-November 2021.
DRIP Phase II and Phase III envisages improvement of the safety and performance of selected existing dams and associated appurtenances in a sustainable manner and strengthening of the dam safety institutional set up besides generating the incidental revenue for sustainable operation and maintenance of dams.
