In Europe and elsewhere the economically feasible water resources have been greatly developed until the 1970s. }
OAH/BW
Although large dams belong to the first structures, which have been designed systematically against earthquakes c Y[qX/0~
since the 1930s, the seismic safety of these dams is unknown, as most of them have been designed using seismic ~[4zm$R^
design criteria and methods of analysis that are considered obsolete today. The fact that no major dams have g=x1}nm
failed during earthquakes and that few lives have been lost (except in the case of tailings dam failures) may give {Qj 7?}xW
the impression that well-designed dams are safe against earthquakes. We need to re-evaluate the seismic safety *p 7_rY
of existing dams based on current state-of-the-art practice and rehabilitate existing dams if necessary. O,?aVgY
Additionally, there are a large number of smaller dams, especially earth structures, which were built for V NWa3`w
irrigation or water supply by organisations or villagers with little experience in dam construction. Earthquake >X-*Hu'U#
effects on these dams have rarely been considered
