An Emerging Threat: Time to Act on Dam Safety, Adopting a Collaborative Interdisciplinary Approach

At present, dam failures gain significant attention due to their devastating impacts on economies, environments, and local communities in the global context. In Sri Lanka, most of the dams are earthen embankment dams that were built in ancient times. Therefore, apprehensions for dam safety need to be based on the recognition that our dams are ageing and deteriorating and therefore, highly vulnerable to climate extremes; at the same time, these dams and the associated irrigation infrastructure have sustained for more than two millennia, apparently owing to the engineering ingenuity of ancient times. This communication delves into the timely need of addressing dam safety aspects with consideration for the entire disaster management cycle that consists of prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery phases. It is highlighted that drawing inferences from the ancient irrigation heritage is beneficial when a holistic approach extending mere safe operation of dams is sought. Particularly, the sustainable planning interventions of the tank cascade systems that consist of tank village eco-systems are appreciated for their role in nourishing the ecosystem and the concern for disaster prevention via small dam networks as opposed to haphazard developments of large-scale dams that increase both the hazard potential and the vulnerability of the downstream communities. Present-day interventions for dam safety apparently require an interdisciplinary collaborative approach in which professionals from engineering, management, environmental sciences, and sociology, etc., work together with dam owners, governing/regulatory authorities, and the communities as a whole.