The 13-Month Delay That Changed How India Builds Dams
This week, a story from India's first RCC dam that every project manager should read before finalizing a placement strategy. Sometimes the decision that saves time on paper costs you more than a year on site.
A.K. Sthapak, Managing Director, PCCI
From the Field
In the early 2000s, the Ghatghar Pumped Storage Scheme in Maharashtra was supposed to be a straightforward gravity dam project. Two reservoirs, 250 MW, conventional vibrated concrete. Then revised diversion arrangements during monsoon caused a 13-month delay and Rs 500 million in additional costs.
The recovery plan was bold: switch the lower 65 metres of the dam, from EL 1075 to EL 1140, from conventional concrete (CVC) to roller compacted concrete (RCC). Above EL 1140, CVC would continue. The logic was simple. RCC placement is faster. The 13 months could be recovered.
Here is what actually happened: CVC placement averaged 76,000 m³/month over 14.3 months. RCC averaged 80,000 m³/month over 13.23 months. The time advantage was negligible. The switch that was supposed to save the schedule barely moved the needle.
Meanwhile, excavation of the extreme right blocks triggered a major landslide. Geological investigations revealed two deep-seated shear zones that required grouting, micropiles, and cable anchors to stabilize. The RCC mix itself demanded 60-70% fly ash, sourced from Nasik Thermal Power Station, 150 kilometres from the site.
"The decision for RCC was taken on two considerations: time advantage and cost neutrality. Both were interlinked because the time advantage of 13 months for RCC was used as justification for cost advantage. Since RCC placement rates were comparable with CVC, no time advantage was obtained."
CBIP/ICOLD Workshop, 2021
Ghatghar became India's first RCC dam, but not in the way anyone planned. It proved that switching placement methods mid-project, without adequate preparation for aggregate logistics, fly ash supply chains, and realistic rate analysis, can cost more than it saves.
The lesson: Concrete placement strategy is not a recovery tool. It is a design decision that must be made with thermal analysis, material logistics, and realistic rate projections in hand, before the first pour, not after the first flood.
Did You Know?
80%
of India's large dams are over 25 years old. By 2050, more than 4,250 will cross the 50-year mark, and 64 will be over 150 years old. The first comprehensive safety evaluation of all 6,628 specified dams is due by December 2026 under the Dam Safety Act.
Sources: CWC Dam Safety Division, UNU-INWEH, Jal Shakti Ministry (December 2024)
Worth Knowing
IS 456:2025 draft introduces six limit states, replacing the two-criteria system used since 2000
Durability is now a formal limit state, not just a prescriptive requirement. The revision also adds dedicated chapters on RCC, HPC, and alkali-activated concrete. Our analysis of what changes and what it means for dam engineers.
ICOLD Bulletin Series now open-access through Routledge/CRC Press
Technical bulletins that previously required ICOLD membership are now freely available. Start with Bulletin 177 on RCC dams and Bulletin 71 on exposure conditions.
India's Dam Safety Act 2021: What it means for concrete assessment
6,628 dams must complete their first comprehensive evaluation by December 2026. NDSA has audited only 1,853 so far. Our guide to what the Act requires and how to prepare.
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