The increasing number of dams built in the last century has underlined thenecessity of these constructions to the allround development of a country. Theadvent o... » 

The increasing number of dams built in the last century has underlined thenecessity of these constructions to the allround development of a country. Theadvent of rock mechanics engineering geology and a better understanding ofmaterials have made it possible to construct higher and larger dams and totackle more difficult sites. The assumptions and risks used in the theory ofdam design include such unpredictable events as earthquakes floods andgeological faults or soft seams which may be either underestimated orcompletely missed during initial exploration. Incidents relating to dams aremanageable at an early stage whereas accidents which are largely unforeseenresult in unexpected behaviour of dams and in catastrophic failures.Investigations conducted to determine the cause of a failure may not reveal thetrue sequence of events while expert analyses are often controversial. Fromthe dams that do not fail of course we learn nothing. Systematicallymonitoring the dams behaviour from the potential risk stage to the accidentevent would allow a hazardmanagement programme to be implemented minimisingloss of life and property and provide useful data. «