In Europe and elsewhere the economically feasible water resources have been greatly developed until the 1970s. @( :ah
Although large dams belong to the first structures, which have been designed systematically against earthquakes |. b p
since the 1930s, the seismic safety of these dams is unknown, as most of them have been designed using seismic TmN}TMhZ
design criteria and methods of analysis that are considered obsolete today. The fact that no major dams have >{ DHW1kF?
failed during earthquakes and that few lives have been lost (except in the case of tailings dam failures) may give .3;bUJ1
the impression that well-designed dams are safe against earthquakes. We need to re-evaluate the seismic safety HSt|Ua.c/h
of existing dams based on current state-of-the-art practice and rehabilitate existing dams if necessary. Ef fp^7 3
Additionally, there are a large number of smaller dams, especially earth structures, which were built for #xWC(*Ggp
irrigation or water supply by organisations or villagers with little experience in dam construction. Earthquake +{%@kX<V_
effects on these dams have rarely been considered
