Taking up the call...improving seismic dam safety

The Bhuji earthquake on 26th January 2001 in Gujurat Province in India, damaged around 200 earth dams. Fortunately, as water levels were low, there were no catastrophic releases from the reservoirs of those severely damaged dams. However, it highlights the problem of inadequate earthquake preparedness and the unknown and often insufficient earthquake safety of existing buildings and infrastructure. In many cases it is not known if an old dam complies with current seismic safety guidelines published by ICOLD. This article discusses the situation in detail and suggests how it may be addressed.