World Register of Dams / Registre Mondial des Barrages
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The WRD is the best available data basis on dams in the world and we are constantly striving to better it.
17th ICOLD International Benchmark Workshop on Numerical Analysis of Dams
Sofia, Bulgaria
9th - 12th April 2025
XXI technical dam control international conference
Cracow, Poland
09 - 12 September 2025
The world's best databasis on dams, established upon the national inventories sent by the member countries of ICOLD. The Register is continuously updated. It includes more than 55,000 Dams.
The Technical Dictionary on Dams provides translation of more than 3000 technical terms in the field of Dams (with Sketches, for certain terms), in the following languages: English 
, French 
, German 
, Spanish 
, Italian 
, Portuguese 
, Swedish 
, Slovene 
, Finnish 
.
Find the Dictionary by clicking here
Recent News
If you wish to receive a bimonthly update with those news, just send a mail to : emmanuel.grenier@icold-cigb.org
Large Dams for Africa
Large Dams for Africa
Africa is now the new land of opportunity for dams’ development. After the very successful ICOLD Annual Meeting in Johannesburg (South Africa), last June, ICOLD prepares Africa 2017, next March in Marrakech (Morocco).
Africa is now the new land of opportunity for dams’ development and there are many signs for that, including inside ICOLD. First, ICOLD has elected an African President, Mr Adama Nombre, from Burkina Faso. He was president from 2012 to 2015. Second, ICOLD is developing with many new African countries joining ICOLD family, most recently Guinea Bissau. It has already co-organized with Aqua Media International the conference Africa 2013 in Addis-Ababa and it will co-organize another one: Africa 2017 in Marrakech.
ICOLD played a key role in the dams’ development in Africa, especially with the World Declaration “Dams and Hydropower for Africa Sustainable Development”. ICOLD initiated that Declaration and convinced important institutions to sign it: African Union, World Energy Council, International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage and the Union of Producers, Transporters and Distributors of Electric Power in Africa and the International Hydropower Association.
Everything that was said in that important declaration is still more valuable today. It ended thus :
Africa must seize this opportunity and the organizations signing this declaration pledge they will do their best to accompany this great continent in this endeavor.”
8 years later, much progress has been accomplished and many new dams are helping African Economic Development. Many others are being prepared, including the giant Grand Inga project in Congo or the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance dam in Ethiopia.
ICOLD has thus shown that it is not only a very important technical institution: all ICOLD officials have worked very hard to enable Africa to share the benefits of development through dams, including through capacity building.
During Johannesburg 84th Annual Meeting, May 18, members of Young Engineers Forum of ICOLD share their passion for Dams and Development.
About ICOLD
The International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) was founded in 1928 to provide a forum for discussion and for the exchange of knowledge and experience in Dam Engineering for engineers and others concerned with the development of Water Resources. Its objectives are to encourage improvements in Dam Engineering in all its aspects, and in all phases of the Planning, Design, Construction and Operation of Dams and Associated Works.
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