DAM Safety
Real-time digital twins for India's dam safety and forecasting
Vision
Zero 'surprise' dam failures across India with a real-time digital nervous system protecting 6,586 large dams and the millions living downstream.
Problem
India's 1,800+ ageing dams rely on analogue, fragmented monitoring systems that cannot detect seepage, fault-reactivation, GLOFs or landslide triggers in time to prevent failure.
Solution
Three sensing pillars: OFC distributed fibre, LiDAR-hydrological instruments, and dense MEMS seismic (BHUSense) — feeding four RCCs and continuously updated Digital Twins for real-time structural health and early warning.
Potential
Scalable from 50 pilot dams to all 6,586 national large dams; BHUSense export to South Asia, Africa, and SE Asia; projected ₹80 Cr annual revenue self-sufficiency by Year 8.
Target Beneficiaries
NDSA, CWC, State Dam Safety Organisations, NHPC/NTPC hydropower operators, 50 million downstream communities, MoJS, World Bank/ADB dam rehabilitation programmes, and partnering nations.
Current Users
Active instrumentation at 50+ dam and landslide sites; BHUSense nodes in Zone IV–V; MoUs with Concordia, REFTEK (Canada), ESRI, NGI Norway, and Western Sydney University.
