Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat today said the government flagship programmes Dam Rehabilitation Improvement Project (DRIP) has improved the safety and operational performance of large dams.<br />'' <br />'' Addressing a National Workshop on Dam Safety Act, 2021 for Dam Safety Governance in India, in New Delhi, Mr Shekhawat stressed on the need for maintenance of the dams for prevention of dam failure related disasters in the country.<br />'' <br />'' He said, that in the last eight years central government has done a lot of work towards the safety of the dams. .<br />'' <br />'' The day-long workshop on Dam Safety Act is aimed at sensitizing all stakeholders about the provisions of the Act and to Brainstorm on Dam Safety Governance.<br />'' <br />'' The Dam Safety Act, 2021 was enacted by the Parliament and came into force from 30th of December last year. The act is aimed to provide an institutional mechanism to ensure safe functioning of dams.<br />'' <br />'' There are around five thousand three hundred and thirty-four large dams in the country and four hundred and eleven large dams are under various stages of construction.<br />'' <br />'' India's dams annually store about 300 billion cubic metres of water.<br />'' <br />''These dams are ageing over the years with about 80 per cent of dams exceeding 25 years of age and over 227 dams exceeding one hundred years. The ageing of dams and their deferred maintenance have made dam safety a matter of concern.