Sedimentation management in reservoirs with particular reference to a medium height Indian dam (Maithon)

Sedimentation is significantly reducing the storage capacity of Indian reservoirs, posing challenges for sustainable water resource management. A number of studies have been conducted on this topic but so far, no significant attempt has been made to address the problem except for dredging in a few cases. Two notable reservoir sediment management techniques, sediment bypass and provision of low-level outlets, have been tried in other countries with encouraging results. It is suggested that feasibilities of these techniques for Indian reservoirs be studied in detail. If found feasible, the right technique(s) should be urgently tried on a few Indian reservoirs to examine their efficacies. Feedback from these efforts would also help develop guidelines for better design of future dams from a sedimentation perspective. India also needs to develop expertise in reservoir sediment management so that this menace can be handled meaningfully.