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DAM-L Tehri Seismic Alert, Gov't position, Action alert <fwd>



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Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2001 14:06:14 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <200104272106.f3RL6EN26652@DaVinci.NetVista.net>
Subject: LS: Action Alert!!! Stop further Construction on Tehri Dam

---
Tehri Bandh Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti
Delhi contact: 14, Supreme Enclave, Mayur Vihar-1, Delhi-91
011-2256394,2250632
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ACTION ALERT:   REVIEW COMMITTEE , COMMENTS AND SOME SUGGESTED ACTION
Sender: owner-irn-narmada@netvista.net
Precedence: bulk

 The following  is the text of a letter from the Ministry of Power,
Government of India, dated 10th April, 2001.

Subject: Constitution of a Committee to go into the concerns raised
regarding seismic safety of Tehri Dam in the light of Bhuj earthquake etc.

 The Government had considered in depth the seismic safety of the Tehri Dam
and the detailed seismology studies carried out by Geological Survey of
India, Department of Earthquake Engineering of Roorkee University and
Russian experts assisted by National Geophysical Research Institute, Wadia
Institute of Himalayan Geology for determining safe height of Tehri Dam,
before according approval in the implementation  of Tehri Dam and
Hydroelectric Project Stage I (1000 MW) in March, 1994. In view of the
continuing concern relating to seismic safety of the Tehri Dam, a Group of
Experts was constituted in June, 1996 to further examine the issue of
seismic safety of Tehri Dam. This Group in its report concluded that the
design of the dam was safe to withstand the Maximum Credible Earthquake.

2. However, in the wake of Bhuj earthquake of January, 2001 the need for
review of seismic safety (of) Tehri Dam is felt necessary. Further, concern
has also been expressed about the possible impact of Tehri Dam on the
self-purification quality of Ganga Jal.

It has accordingly been decided to constitute a Committee to go into the
concerns regarding:

(a) Seismic safety of Tehri Dam in the light of Bhuj earthquake of January,
2001; and

(b) Impact of Tehri Dam on self purification quality of Ganga Jal, etc.

3. The Committee will comprise the following:

(1) Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, Minister of Human Resources Development  and
Science and Technology                 Chairman

(2) Dr. R. A. Mashelkar, Director General, CSIR & Secretary, Dept. of
Scientific & Industrial Research              &

Member

(3) Dr. C. D. Thatte, Former secretary, Ministry of Water Resources
Member

(4) Chairman, Central Water Commission             &n
Member

(5)  Director General, Geological survey of India          &nbs
Member

 (6)  Chairman, Central Pollution control Board          &

Member

 (7) Director, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute
Member

(8)  Prof. K.S.Valdia, Bhatnagar Research Professor, Jawahar Lal Nehru
Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur, Bangalore         Member

(9)  Prof.T.Shivaji Rao, Director, Centre for Environmental Studies, Geetam
College of Engineering, Vishakhapatnam, A.P.          Member

(10) Shri U.K.Chowdhury,  B-36/21, C-6, Brahmanand Extension – I,Durga Kund,
Varanasi
        Member

(11) Shri Guru Das Agarwal, Vridda Sewa Sadan, Pramodvan, Chitrakoot
(Satna), Madhya Pradesh               Member

4. Ministry of Power will service the Committee

5. The non-official members of the Committee will be entitled to TA/DA.
Non-official members would also be entitled to an honorarium of Rs.1000/ per
day. All expenditure in this regard shall be met by THDC

6. The Committee may submit its report within 4 weeks to the Government for
its consideration.

(sd)  Ajay Shankar

Jt.Secretary to the Government of India


SOME COMMENTS ON THE ABOVE LETTER:

(1) The statement in the first paragraph that the Government had considered
in depth the seismic safety of the Tehri Dam and the detailed seismology
studies carried out “ etc. is misleading. Some of the institutions mentioned
above - the study of the dam site by the Geological Survey of India in the
1960’s, the report of the Director of the National Geophysical Research
Institute in 1986 and  the statement of the Russian Chief Engineer in 1987 -
have given reports which have raised serious questions about the design of
the dam and its capacity to withstand a major earthquake. The Environment
Appraisal Committee of the Department of Environment  (1990) had also
concluded that the dam design did not provide for an earthquake of magnitude
greater than 8.0 on the Richter scale which was certain to occur during the
life of the dam. Therefore the EAC had recommended that the Tehri dam should
not be given approval.

(2) In the first para, the statement that a Group of Experts was constituted
in June, 1996 to further examine the issue of seismic safety of Tehri Dam.
This Group in its report concluded that the design of the dam was safe to
withstand the Maximum Credible Earthquake is misleading. We reproduce below
the page from the Report of the Group of Experts containing their
recommendations, signed by 4 out of 5 members of the Group.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

 Based on a review of the reports made available to the Group and further
studies conducted by DEQ-UR (Department of Earthquake Engineering –
University of Roorkee) on the behaviour of the idealised two dimensional
model of the dam to the ground acceleration corresponding to MCE (Maximum
Credible Earthquake), the Group came to the conclusion that the present
design of the dam is expected to be structurally safe to withstand the MCE
during the economic performance life of the dam-reservoir system.

 However, a number of crucial questions could not be settled, notably the
slope stability on account of the difficulties reported in Annexure-13, and
the response of the dam to MCE in the longitudinal direction. Keeping in
view, therefore, of the sensitivity of non-linear behaviour to possible
variations in the values of seismic parameters such as PGA, duration,
frequency content and material properties, still larger displacements cannot
be ruled out. In fact as per the Soviet Report (Tehri Dam Project on the
Bhagirathi river, India, contract No. 53032/67652, 9, G.P. 73-74) to which
attention was drawn by one member of the Group, the idealised section of a
200 m high dam fails for the earthquake impact with PGA equal to a(z) =
0.64g; a(h) = 1.28g. Whereas there are differences in the sections analysed
in the above report and the current design of the Tehri Dam, attention is
drawn to the fact that for some fortuitous combination of inputs combined
with particular reservoir-dam conditions, the performance of the dam to hold
water at a future date, may get affected.

 It is therefore, further recommended that as a matter of abundant caution,
the following work be carried out:

i) 3-D non-linear analysis of the dam to evaluate its performance against
the MCE

ii) A simulated dam break analysis to ensure that in the unlikely event of
an uncontrolled release of water, the consequences are minimum.


COMMENTS:  The Tehri Dam is located in one of the most hazardous sites in
the world. Given the large population of several crores who live downstream
of the Dam, the risk factor is also very high. According to the current
norms of dam building in the world, a fully state of-the-art dynamic design
analysis of the Dam becomes mandatory. Four out of five members of the
Expert Group have insisted that the dam can be considered safe only if the
analyses recommended by them (3-D non-linear analysis and a dam break
analysis) are carried out. These analyses are yet to be carried out.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:  In view of the above facts it becomes absolutely essential
for the Committee which has now been constituted, to take a careful look
once again at all the reports on the seismicity and safety of the Tehri Dam.
All these reports are already available with the Government of India.  It is
also necessary for the Committee to see to it that the analyses recommended
by the Expert Group of 1996-98 are now carried out. The Dam design can be
considered safe only if the results of these analyses are satisfactory.
Obviously, the Committee has to first order the work on the Dam to be
stopped before it can get on with its work. There is a prima-facie case for
the work to be stopped straightaway.

As you can also see, the terms of the reference of the Committee are
extremely limited and narrow in scope. The Hanumanatha Rao Committee on
Environment and Rehabilitation, which had a detailed look at the Tehri Dam
Project in 1997, found that the Project had violated several conditions
which had to be fulfilled before the work on the dam could be continued.
However, the work continued. Since the 30th of March, the work on the Dam
has been stopped by the people of the villages in the submergence area.

KINDLY WRITE TO THE MINISTER FOR HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AND SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA asking him to:

(i) See that the work on the Tehri Dam be stopped immediately

(ii)Make sure that the Committee takes a look at all the reports and
documents available on the seismicity and safety of the Tehri Dam

(iii) See that the terms of reference of the Committee are extended to
include the issues of environment and rehabilitation.
Address:

Dr.Murli Manohar Joshi
Chairman, Review Committee on the Tehri Dam &
Minister for Human Resources Development and Science and Technology
Government of India
301 – C-wing , Sastri Bhavan, New Delhi 110001
(Fax) 011- 338 2365 (office)
          011- 371 1772 (Residence)
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Tehri Update 27-4-2001 Time-7.05 AM (India)
On 26th hundreds of villagers came for imprisonment but govt. did not take
them to the jail. Till now 208 women, men are in Jail. 25 in Haridwar and
others are in New Tehri town Jail,100 Km.40Km. away from Tehri town. At the
time of taking to the jail police had beaten the satyagrhi and looted them.
Men police arrested the women satyagrhi.
Seven were on fast against this brutality of the Govt. Out of them only Shri
Sameer still on Ratoori is on fast, others concluded their fast today.
Noted environmentalist Shri Sunderlal Bahuguna also took fast. No one except
his son and daughter were allowed to meet him. In his fast he is taking only
water and very little quantity of honey. He issued one press note today.
May be Govt. will keep all of them till 30th of April.
Situation in both the valleys of Bhagirathi and Bhilangan is tense.
Villagers blocked the main roads of both of the valley. In Bhagirathi valley
in Malidaval, Sirai, Barcot villagers are sitting on the road . Same in the
Bhilangana Valley. Only in the morning and evening they are opening the way
for some time.People are very much courageous.
In Soliderity
Vimalbhai






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