NEW DELHI, July 16:
Over 670 large dams across the country fall under high-intensity seismic zones, the Government today said.
Responding to a question in Lok Sabha on whether various, hydro-power projects, dams and atomic projects have been set up in the high-intensity zone, Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Earth Science replied in the affirmative.
He said seismic zoning map of India has been prepared by Bureau of Indian Standard which shows four seismic zones II, III, IV and V, with last two ones being the most vulnerable.
Of the 672, Gujarat tops the list with 444 such dams/ reservoirs that fall under zone IV and V, followed by Maharashtra, which has 170 such water bodies.
Considering global advancement in geo-technical engineering and developments in design, research and construction of dams, the country is capable of executing development projects including construction of dams, nuclear power plants and hydro power projects that would withstand a seismic jolt through adequate safety measures, he said.
Following the Fukushima incident in 2011, the Government had directed safety reviews of all Indian Nuclear Power Plant in operation and construction.
“Safety reviews of all Indian nuclear power plants were carried out by the task forces on NPCIL and Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. These reviews found Indian reactors are safe and have sufficient margin and features in their design to withstand extreme natural events such as earthquake and tsunami,” Singh said. (PTI)
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