Latest news with #SCDS
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Telangana leads push for unified flood management to prevent devastating inflows
Hyderabad: With monsoon-triggered flash floods repeatedly wreaking havoc—claiming lives, damaging public infrastructure, and compromising dam safety—Telangana is spearheading a bold initiative to establish a coordinated, real-time flood management system across states. In a significant move, the Telangana State Committee on Dam Safety (SCDS) has called for seamless data sharing between neighbouring states—Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana—to proactively manage sudden inflows from upstream reservoirs and safeguard critical irrigation infrastructure. To address the recurring threat of flash floods, the SCDS convened a high-level meeting with irrigation officials from the four states, along with representatives from the Central Water Commission and the National Disaster Response Force. The outcome: A first-of-its-kind Integrated Flood Management System (IFMS) that aims to revolutionise how states monitor, predict, and respond to flood risks in the Krishna and Godavari basins. "The proposed IFMS will provide advance warnings of two to seven days, enabling timely evacuation and flood preparedness," Telangana's engineer-in-chief and chairperson of the SCDS, G Anil Kumar, told TOI. It will integrate real-time data from rainfall stations, cloud tracking radars, and dam inflow levels to assess flood risks dynamically. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo The system also aims to simulate flood scenarios through digital twin technology, helping authorities visualise the impact of potential flood events and identify vulnerable infrastructure, settlements, and transportation networks across the basin. In past instances—such as the 2009 flooding of Kurnool and the near overflow of the Srisailam dam, or the 2022 inundation of Bhadrachalam town due to Godavari floodwaters—poor coordination and delayed data sharing proved disastrous. In one case, the breach of Peddavagu under intense inflows further underscored the urgency for a system like IFMS. According to Anil Kumar, "The IFMS will provide early warnings and actionable insights that can save lives and infrastructure. It's a long-overdue step towards proactive flood management." He said that the IFMS will enable real-time monitoring of rainfall, inflows, and flood-prone zones. It will estimate the likelihood of flash floods and heavy rainfall events using radar data and cloud-top temperature analysis, while issuing geo-specific alerts across the basin. To facilitate this, irrigation departments are currently developing new tools and software platforms for real-time data sharing. Institutions such as IIT Hyderabad are being brought in to support the technical development of the flood warning system—not just for Telangana, but also for the city of Hyderabad, which faces periodic urban flooding. "The idea is to track flood flows and water levels in irrigation projects across the basins in real time, and create a digital twin of flood events," said Anil Kumar. "This will allow us to simulate and visualise potential impacts, helping us identify at-risk infrastructure, agricultural zones, and critical transport links," he added. During the inter-state meeting, it was agreed that all participating states will share information from real-time rainfall stations within the river basins, as well as key reservoir data, daily water release figures, and standardised application programming interfaces (APIs) from relevant govt agencies. Experts say this collaborative model is expected to set a national precedent for integrated flood management and inter-state water governance.
Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
BBMB row, repeal of Dam Safety Act: A hardening stance behind Punjab's firm resolution
When the Punjab government moved a resolution in the state assembly on Monday for the immediate repeal of the Dam Safety Act, 2021, the demand not only came more than three years after the legislation was enacted, but it also marked a shift in the state's position. While several farmer unions in Punjab opposed the Act from the outset, arguing that it infringed upon the state's rights over water resources, the state government complied with and implemented the measures mandated by the legislation, despite having some reservations. The state, however, has now hardened its stance to seek repeal of the Act after a row erupted with the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), which regulates water distribution from Bhakra, Nangal, Pong and Ranjit Sagar dams, over sharing of water from the Bhakra with Haryana, said people in the know of the matter. The resolution, which said that the 2021 Act empowers the central government to directly control the rivers and dams of states and undermines the sovereign rights of states like Punjab over their water, was unanimously passed by all MLAs present in the state assembly, cutting across party lines. Water resources minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said the state government was opposed to the Act from day one and kept conveying its concerns. 'The central government tried to take control of our dams. When the situation became unbearable due to the actions of BBMB, we had to do something and brought this resolution for repeal of this Act among other things,' he said. State set up dam safety panels under DSA The Dam Safety Act, which came into force on December 30, 2021, mandated that states set up a State Committee on Dam Safety (SCDS) and a State Dam Safety Organisation (SDSO) within 180 days. The state's water resources department established SCDS on May 13, 2022, under Section 11 of the Act with chief engineer, SDSO, as chairperson and chief engineers, canal, ground water, dams and design hydel projects, as ex-officio members for monitoring and supervision of dam safety related activities, assessing probability of dam failure, supervising the functioning of SDSO, etc. Chief conservator of soils; chief engineer, hydel projects of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited; chief engineer, project-cum-arbitration, HP Power Corporation Limited, and one director of Central Water Commission were among the members, according to a notification issued by principal secretary, water resources. Another notification was issued on June 13, 2022, to constitute an eight-member State Dam Safety Organisation under an officer of the rank of chief engineer, designated as its technical head, for inspection of dams, safety review, risk assessment, emergency preparedness, enforcement of safety regulations. One of the officers quoted above said the two panels were constituted in accordance with provisions of the legislation, and the officials were also attending meetings, workshops and following up on dam safety guidelines. 'However, there have been concerns. Water is a state subject as per Entry 17 of State List in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution and dam safety has been traditionally managed by states. There is also Section 56, which allows the central government to unilaterally prescribe rules without mandatory with states,' said the official. The Union Jal Shakti ministry is of view that the legislation has been enacted to ensure dam safety by providing an institutional mechanism for prevention and mitigation of dam failure disasters through proper surveillance, operation and maintenance. 'The central ministry has been saying that the Act does not encroach upon the power of states and adequate representation has been provided to state governments at all levels and there are Constitutional provisions which give Parliament the power to legislate on dam safety,' said another official.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Students learn about entrepreneurship at Big Bon Bodega
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — On Tuesday, April 15, WSAV News 3 spent time with seventh grade students in Neil Gabbey's 'mini-mester' class at Big Bon Bodega, where they learned about making bagels. The mini-mesters are offered every year during spring break by Savannah Country Day School (SCDS). They are experiential classes outside of the standard curriculum. These classes can be everything from learning the sport of fencing or sailing to the studying the fashion industry. On this day, the class spent time with local business owners to see what it takes to run a successful business. Big Bon Bodega CEO Kay Heritage was thrilled to entertain the students. 'Middle school is the perfect age to talk about business and entrepreneurship because they're still deciding what interests them and what they want to do in life. It's the perfect time to expose them to what we do as small business owners.' SCDS teacher Neil Gabbey teaches English to these seventh graders, but he also writes about food for local publications. Food has been a passion for him for as long as he can remember so it just made sense for him to offer this opportunity to his students. A few years ago, he reached out to local restaurant owners and chefs and asked if they'd be willing to spend time with the student. The response was overwhelming. Since then, his students have seen the inner workings of prestigious places like Husk, Plant Riverside and Southern Cross Hospitality. 'People have been so friendly and welcoming. Opening their doors to us. I tell my students that many of these restauranteurs missed their calling to be middle school teachers because they are so wonderful with the kids.' At Big Bon Bodega, the kids learned what goes into making bagels. They learned the chemistry of combining yeast with local honey to create different tastes and textures. And they learned that every ingredient that goes into a bagel sandwich directly affects the taste of it. Chef Shahin Afsharian hand-picked today's ingredients for the students. In addition to fried eggs, bacon and tomatoes, they chose from peppery arugula, tangly pickled onions and cucumbers. 'Ingredients for everything at Big Bon are very carefully sourced,' said Chef Shahin. 'There is nothing better than locally sourced ingredients. In addition to supporting our local vendors, it adds a little 'extra special flavor' to our menu items.' Gabbey encouraged his students to try new things to see how they impact the taste of the bagel sandwich. After seeing the inner workings of Big Bon Bodega and enjoying a delicious bagel sandwich, the students were hooked. Seventh grader Kate Siegall liked learning about Big Bon's story of how the restaurant began as a wood-fired pizza food truck and grew to the beautiful location on the corner of 37th and Bull in Savannah. 'I really like trying new foods,' she said. 'Also my mom is a really good cook and I like to cook with her.' Gabbey said he wants field trips like these to ignite a fire in his students. 'I hope the first thing the kids take away is either creating a love for food. Deepening the appreciation that Savannah restaurants are phenomenal. And that they're run by phenomenal people. And for them to see it's about these people who love this as their vocation and as their life's work. And they want to share it with the community. For the kids to come away and go, 'Hey mom and dad…next time we go out, can we go to Husk?' On Saturday morning, 'Can we go to Big Bon and grab bagels?' And so that the kids pay it back and tell their friends and family. Just spread the Savannah food scene love!' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
