Kalpasar dam: Govt mulls better quake-proofing

“The project area falls in Seismic Zone III. In the past,the region had experienced a few moderate earthquakes. The project area is controlled mainly by four major lineaments. Seismicity studies revealed that these lineaments are either dead or occasionally get reactivated feebly. Therefore,small to moderate earthquakes have been reported in and around the Gulf of Khambhat region,” a highly placed sources in the government told The Indian Express.

Considering this,the official said,the government proposed to redesign the dam “for extra safety” and set up a network of observatories for monitoring the seismic activity around the project area.

This was based mainly on a report by the Gujarat Engineering Research Institute (GERI) on the seismicity aspects of the project area for construction and the post-construction scenario.

The report was endorsed by a Scientific Audit Committee (SAC) headed by tsunami expert Dr Tad Murty.

National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) has been roped in to study the possible tsunami impact on the dam. The government has also asked SAC to examine the need for redesigning the project as per Seismic Zone V safety standards.

The specifications of equipment,location and number of seismological observatories will be decided later.

The project envisages building the world’s largest fresh water reservoir in sea by constructing a 30-km long dam. It is proposed to store over 10,000 MCM of surface water,which is 25% of the state’s average annual rainwater inflow.