Enhancing Dam Safety in Nepal

Hatch and Manitoba Hydro International

Katmandu, Nepal

In the aftermath of the devastating 2015 Gorkha earthquakes in Nepal, the World Bank Group turned to the dam safety experts at Hatch to undertake a project designed to assist the Government of Nepal in reducing the risks associated with its plans to develop over 15 GW of hydroelectric power within the next 30 years. The Enhancing Dam Safety in Nepal project entailed the review of the current global sate of the art in dam safety management and the state of practice in Nepal. Using this information and information gathered through visits to the earthquake-damaged projects in the country, we developed country specific dam safety regulations and guidelines, responding to Nepal’s need for a modern and robust dam safety management system that will reduce the risks that the country’s existing and planned new dams pose to the public, infrastructure, the environment and the nation’s rich cultural heritage. In just over a year, the team combined the current state of knowledge in dam safety and issues specific to assist in the development of a new dam safety regulations. They detail all aspects of the work required to design and construct safe dams in Nepal including guidelines on how to account for Nepal’s natural hazards, the first guidelines that address this important issue.