To ensure a vision of the many aspects that pertain to the sensitive topic of dam guardianship, ITCOLD established the ‘Vigilanza delle Dighe’ (Dam Supervision) Working Group in 2018 with the aim of taking stock of the situation in Italy. The WG, made up of technicians operating in different contexts—dealers, supervisory authorities, engineering consultancy companies, research companies—to ensure a broad vision of the issues affecting the topic, has drawn up an ITCOLD Bulletin published in 2019 and available on the website of the association. The Bulletin examines various conditioning factors: regulatory aspects, which also include an overview of that undertaken at European level; safety issues broken down into the concepts of safety and security ; available technologies used to make surveillance methods more flexible and efficient; state of the art of the current supervisory method and the exemptions granted by the supervisory authority (illustrated with numerous case histories). The bulletin concludes with a series of considerations aimed at the possible revision of the current supervisory procedures. The article is a summary of the bulletin and outlines the main aspects. The monographic boxes attached to the article explore in depth the concepts of safety and security and presents examples of dams for which an exemption from traditional supervision has been granted or for which an exemption has been requested, which has been temporarily ‘frozen’ pending the update of the provisions of Presidential Decree 1363 of 1959 establishing the supervisory methods adequate to the current control and surveillance techniques already in place at numerous dams.

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