Lessons learned from Wenchuan earthquake for seismic safety of large dams

                                                                 Chen Houqun

China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100044, China

Abstract: This paper describes some special features of the Wenchuan earthquake that affected dam safety. Damage and
performance of dams, primarily for four dams over 100 m high located in the affected earthquake area, are briefly described.
Lessons learned related to dam safety from this devastating earthquake are preliminarily drawn. As the seismic safety of high
dams during strong earthquakes has gained more attention around the world, some critical issues related to dam construction
in China are considered and extensively discussed. Questions such as ¡°Why is dam construction necessary in earthquake
prone countries such as China?¡±, ¡°Can we accurately evaluate the seismic safety of high dams in China?¡±, ¡°Did reservoir
impounding of the Zipingpu and Three Gorges Projects trigger the Wenchuan Earthquake in some way?¡± and ¡°What is the
strategic priority of dam safety for large dams in China?¡± are discussed. Finally, the corresponding tactics with response to the
challenge are suggested and recent preliminary progress mainly achieved in IWHR is briefly introduced.

Keywords: Wenchuan earthquake; dam safety; lesson; reservoir earthquake; strategic priority




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