A REVIEW OF EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN:A CASE STUDY OF TEHRI DAM, UTTARAKHAND, INDIA

Abstract

Multipurpose dams like Tehri have played a significant role in the country's socio-economic development. The relocation of the nearby people for the development of the Tehri Dam in Uttarakhand's Garhwal Himalayan region/area initially caused a lot of apprehension. A multipurpose dam may have negative consequences on the community living in its proximity. The dam has significantly modified the terrain of the region, affected the ecology and largely the biodiversity around the dam’s catchment area as well as creation of new natural habitats. As a result of initial displacement, large section of the affected society left their origin and ancestral lands and are now labelled refugees at destination. The goal of this dissertation is to demonstrate how remote sensing may be useful to determine the rate of sedimentation in the reservoir’s basin that overall affected the net water storage capacity of the region. This wreaks havoc, especially during the monsoon season following torrential downpour of heavy rainfall, a characteristic of this region. As Tehri dam is constructed on a perennial river that receive water without a minute interruption, exposing the dam to the conditions of flood like situation in particular in the downstream. Primary and secondary factors namely slope, aspect ratio, relief, soil and profile of basin curvature, wetness index, and stream velocity index, were identified from literature review. It is necessary to ensure safety of such dams, by following proper code and manual of emergency action plans as highlighted by the best dam management practices globally.