Recently, Ministry of Water Resources (MWR), China issued Announcement No. 18 of 2026 that Technical Specification for Sluice Safety Monitoring was approved for release, with experts from Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute and Dam Safety Management Center (acting as Sluice Safety Management Center) of MWR as its chief editors. It will come into force on December 11, 2026.

Technical Specification for Sluice Safety Monitoring (SL/T 768—2026) is a professional standard for water sector, revised on the basis of Technical Specification for Sluice Safety Monitoring (SL 768—2018). It consists of 13 chapters and 9 annexes, with the main contents of general provisions, field inspection, environmental quantity monitoring, deformation monitoring, seepage monitoring, stress and strain monitoring, specialized monitoring, automatic monitoring systems, compilation and analysis of monitoring data, operation management of monitoring systems, and renovation of monitoring systems. This specification is applicable to the safety monitoring design, construction and operation management of large and medium-sized sluices.

This revision has fully adopted the philosophy that safety monitoring runs through the whole life cycle of sluices. Mature new instruments, new technologies and new methods applied in sluice safety monitoring have been supplemented into the specification. Targeting the deficiencies in the safety monitoring of existing sluices, requirements for the renovation of sluice safety monitoring systems have been added. In response to the new requirements of smart water conservancy and digital twin sluices in the new era, provisions concerning the operation condition monitoring of sluice gates and hoists have been incorporated. Meanwhile, corresponding stipulations have been set forth on redundant layout of sensing equipment for sluice safety monitoring, timely implementation of automatic monitoring and control, coordinated construction alongside digital twin projects, model development for “forecast, early warning, rehearsal and preplan” and interactive professional models, and establishment of an integrated space-air-ground-water-engineering sensing network. The release and implementation of this specification will further guide and standardize the safety monitoring of large and medium-sized sluices and provide technical support for the safe operation of sluices.