Mitigation measures for construction delay of Indian hydropower projects: A modified delphi study

Mitigation of construction delay generally reflects protective or corrective action to reduce necessity of additional time requirement to complete whole or part of project beyond the contract period. Delay is a significant and-versatile problem and the Indian hydropower construction industry has been facing it since long and therefore-needs appropriate remedial measures. The reasons of delay in time overrun in hydropower projects were identified-with the help of experts of industry, who are or had been in top management of organisation including those on-their Board and a questionnaire consisting of 96 questions was framed and administered and it was responded by experts from public as well as private sector having an experience of more than 25 years in hydropower industry. Based on analysis of the available information, mitigation measures were identified in consultation with industry experts. The most common time-consuming process which disrupts the entire project schedule and hinders Indian hydro power development is the challenge associated with land acquisition, geological adversities, rehabilitation & resettlement, delayed forest clearances issues and poor contract management. This study applied the Modified Delphi technique as a group decision making tool to rank top sixteen recommended mitigation measures. Statistical analysis for reliability and normality was carried out using SPSS software, and consensus evaluation performed using convergence (CONV) and Interrater agreement (IRA). Finally, with two rounds of Delphi, eight panellist reached consensus on remedial measures and their ranking in terms of importance. The identified measures, if implemented, can help mitigate hydropower construction delays significantly and, in turn, economise the associated cost.