I think the word international is mostly abused in today's world. However, the International Dam Safety Conference I'm talking about was a welcome exception. It was truly a congregation of more than 700 specialists who attended as delegates representing over 30 different countries. The conference was hosted at Bhubaneswar, Odisha was a delight for both the science and art lovers. The two day event had a perfect mix of scientific knowledge and artistic expressions. A beautiful sand art welcomed the gathering and many cultural activities welcomed the global experts to the rich and diversified culture of Odisha.
It was a delight for me as I was able to participate the exhibition as a host of sorts on two fronts - firstly as an Indian welcoming the experts to my Country and secondly my Company was one of the knowledge partners of this mega event. My company has been associated with the event since it's inception and has been a party and witness of the evolution of the exhibition from a national event to an international phenomenon in the field of dam safety.
It was my privilege to have the opportunity to interact with some of the best minds in the field of dam safety at a very close level and it made me feel delighted that India is on the journey to be in the club of the countries with the best managed dams.
For a non technical person like me, the conference was a great opportunity to understand the importance of dams in the socio economic development of the country and the population on the whole. The conference made me realise that the stakeholders for whom the dams are built, the end consumers - the people of the nation, need to take a keen interest in their dams and help & support the authorities and governments to take the giant leap.
I felt the positive vibrations and the energy in the urge to promote hydropower tourism in the dam sites. This could work wonders as many countries like France where tourism is a great contributor to the economy, have tried this model and have been quite successful. It could be a new area for India to explore and evolve.
I'm keenly looking forward to the next exhibition. It would be interesting to see India continuing to play the role of a catalyst in the coming together of the best minds in the field and facilitate a dam experts community that makes the world a safer and a happier place for the global population dependent on the dams in their vicinity.
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