The Geological Survey of India (GSI) will conduct a micro-earthquake zone study in the Idukki dam, one of the largest in Asia.
The expert team is scheduled to visit the dam next week and a report will be submitted to the Union Government in four months, sources in the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) said. The visit is in the wake of a number of aftershocks reported in the area since February 2020. The study was delayed due to various reasons, including the pandemic.
A senior dam safety official said on Monday that it was part of an earthquake-zone study across the country and the features of rock formation and existence of any active fault zone would be probed.
The study assumes significance considering the vast catchment area of the reservoir and the presence of 10 small dams within a radius of 40 km. The team comprises experts in earthquake science and engineers.
Field survey
A two-member team will reach the district next week. The report will be based on a field survey using modern equipment. The dam safety wing of the KSEB will provide support to the team.
An expert committee with Samir Kumar Shukla, Director, Foundation Engineering and Special Analysis, Central Water Authority, as chairman and Preetha R., Deputy Chief Engineer, Dam Safety Organisation, as convener was formed earlier. The other members of the panel are C.V.R. Murty of Chennai IIT; Ishwer Datt Gupt, former director, Central Water and Power Research Station; Sandip Kumar Som, Deputy Director General, GSI, Western Region; and Aloushy Paul, former Executive Engineer, KSEB.
Earlier, seismologist Harsh K. Gupta reported that the Idukki dam was one of the nine main dams in the world in consideration of earthquake possibilities. A report of the Building Materials Promotion and Technology Council under the Union Government reported that the possibility of earthquake was above 50% in Kerala.
