In Europe and elsewhere the economically feasible water resources have been greatly developed until the 1970s. lZ![?t}2`
Although large dams belong to the first structures, which have been designed systematically against earthquakes c. ;}e:)s
since the 1930s, the seismic safety of these dams is unknown, as most of them have been designed using seismic ;+-M+9"?O
design criteria and methods of analysis that are considered obsolete today. The fact that no major dams have (h3f$
failed during earthquakes and that few lives have been lost (except in the case of tailings dam failures) may give :$J4T;/{
the impression that well-designed dams are safe against earthquakes. We need to re-evaluate the seismic safety Oj ?
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of existing dams based on current state-of-the-art practice and rehabilitate existing dams if necessary. M8HHyV[AmC
Additionally, there are a large number of smaller dams, especially earth structures, which were built for o@!Uds0
irrigation or water supply by organisations or villagers with little experience in dam construction. Earthquake r[}5<S Q
effects on these dams have rarely been considered