J Chandrashekar Iyer to take over as CWC chairman, today

NEW DELHI, Nov 30: J Chandrashekar Iyer will take over as the chairman of Central Water Commission on Thursday, a senior official said.
Iyer, a 1984-batch officer of Central Water Engineering Service (CWES), is currently member (design and research) in the Commission. He will take over as the chairman, CWC with effect from December 1, the official said on Wednesday. As the chief of the Commission, he will be ex-officio secretary to the government of India, he said.
Iyer has over 36 years of experience in the water resources sector, implementing the policies, programmes and projects of the central government. Key areas of his specialisation include irrigation/hydropower and dam project planning, hydraulic and structural analysis and detailed design engineering of various components of surface and underground projects, dam safety engineering, project construction coordination and implementation, according to his official bio data. Over the years, Iyer has made significant contributions in the design engineering of several projects in the country, notable being Nathpa Jhakri and Rampur hydropower projects in Himachal Pradesh, Srisailam underground project in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, Pykara project in Tamil Nadu and Doyang dam project in Nagaland. (PTI)
His overseas contribution includes design consultancy/expert advice to projects in Afghanistan, Bhutan, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Nepal and Tajikistan.
As Chief Executive Officer (on additional charge), Polavaram Project Authority, he is steering the implementation of Polavaram irrigation project across the river Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, which inter alia involves construction of a large earth-cum-rock fill dam, spillway and irrigation system.
Iyer is also entrusted with the additional charge of chairman, National Dam Safety Authority, established under the provisions of the Dam Safety Act 2021.
He has also been involved in the bilateral discussions on water resources projects and in the implementation of the treaties/agreements on trans-boundary rivers with Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan through the established bilateral mechanisms.
Iyer holds Master of Science (Hydropower Development) degree from Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, Master of Technology (Civil) from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Tamil Nadu and Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) degree from S V National Institute of Technology, Surat, Gujarat. (PTI)