Devendra Kumar Sharma becomes first Indian to lead ICOLD in 17 years

New Delhi : In the 87th Annual General Body meeting of International Commission On Large Dams (ICOLD) held in Ottawa, Canada, Er. Devendra Kumar Sharma was, on June 14, elected as its Vice President of the ICOLD Board for the term 2019-2022.

Devendra Kumar Sharma is the Chairman of Bhakra Beas Management Board. Mr Sharma was elected in a triangular contest between candidates for the post of Vice President from India, Japan and Egypt. 

Mr Sharma got this honour and achievement to be a member of the ICOLD Board from India after a gap of 17 years. By his election to this coveted post, Mr Sharma has brought laurels to the country as well as to the Indian dam community. 

ICOLD having a membership of 101 countries with more than 15,000 members provides a forum for the exchange of knowledge and experience in dam engineering. 

The Organization leads the profession in ensuring that dams are built safely, efficiently, economically, and without detrimental effects on the environment. It encourages advances in the planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of large dams and their associated civil works, by collecting and disseminating relevant information and by studying related technical questions.

Position of Vice President for India in ICOLD Board will help the country for getting the international expertise to address the water and energy issues to provide food security to the nation. 

In addition, it will also help to address concerns such as dam safety, monitoring of performance, reanalysis of older dams and spillways, effects of ageing and environmental impact.