Dams

This preliminary report investigates the following seven dams:

Shivlakha Dam
Chang Dam
Fatehgadh Dam
Kaswati Dam
Rudramata Dam
Suvi Dam
Tapar Dam

These dams are located in a region of Gujarat, which is arid with little topography and covered by scrub brush and stretches of desert. The monsoons
inundate the region for a few months every year bringing much needed water. The soil tends to be very fertile when irrigation water is available. The
number of dams in this region is in the range of 180. The term used to describe the regional water management tactics is "water farming," as the
dams here are more for retention than detention. The dams capture the monsoon deluge, taking out the peak to decrease the hazard of flooding and
erosion, and temporarily hold some of the water. By this process the groundwater is effectively recharged for the coming growing season and some
surface water is retained in the larger reservoirs year round.

Location of the seven dams described in this preliminary report and the location of the epicenter of the main shock of January 26.

Shivlakha Dam

Shivlakha Dam experienced a failure that cut through the core. Cracking and slumping were observed on the up and downstream faces. Extensive
failure of the upstream face occurred with cracks on the order of 3m vertical and horizontal. The abutment rock is composed of sandstone and
mudstone.

Longitudinal crest cracking was evidence of both upstream and downstream failures.

Large cracks on the upstream face.

A bulge occurred at the upstream toe. A local farmer just upstream of the dam reported that water issued from ground fissures for approximately 0.5
hours on the day of the earthquake.

Chang Dam

This dam experienced catastrophic failure of both the upstream and down stream faces with an overall crest drop of up to 10m. Chang Dam is
located approximately 2km from observed tectonic ground deformations.

The large tree on the far right side of this picture is at the original crest elevation of the dam. Cracks can be seen along the entire length of the dam.

Numerous sand boils and fissures were observed along the toe region of the dam. Wide spread liquefaction occurred in and near the dam, and also
along a large portion of the edge of the reservoir where lateral spreading on the order of 5m occurred. The ejecta was a silty sand with a clay crust
on the surface. Huge quantities of ejecta covered a region of 200m2 at the toe of the dam.

The silty sand ejecta remained saturated even after being exposed to direct sun light and high temperatures for up to 20 days after the main shock.
Here the ejecta is shown to liquefy quite easily due to an impact load from a rock lobbed into the air.

And the addition of a slight vibrational loading to the embedded rock results in further, more extensive, liquefaction.

Fatehgadh Dam
This dam is 4km long and crosses at least two main stream channels.

The observed damage and deformation occurred in conjunction with the location of these two stream channels.

Sand boils and ground cracking due to lateral spreading were found along the upstream toe of the dam at both locations where large deformations of
the dam occurred.

Cracks up to 6m deep were found on the upstream face with both translation and rotation evident.

Large toe bulges consisting of silt and clay along the upstream toe.

Rudramata Dam

Cracking and slumping were observed along the upstream face. Scarps were up to 1.5m high with some evident rotation. Longitudinal cracks along
the crest of the dam as well as toe bulges were observed.

Uncontrolled seepage at the downstream toe began 2 days after the main shock. The seepage location corresponds to the damage on the upstream
face.

Kaswati Dam

Complex failures occurred along the entire length of this dam, extending to the bedrock abutment.

Longitudinal crest cracks up to 75mm wide and 1m deep stretch over a significant length of the dam.

Cracking was observed on the upstream face of the dam up to 2m deep and 0.75m across.

Toe bulging of silt and clay material.

Suvi Dam

This 2.7km long dam had poor construction details. The crest was raised without a corresponding raise in the core, resulting in several meters of
pervious material at the crest. A parapet wall was placed at the top but not tied into the core, resulting in a top section of the dam that could allow
uncontrolled through-flow. The parapet wall was damaged along 60% of the dam length.

Significant longitudinal crest cracking with a 1m drop in crest height at the deepest section. Collapse of a sluice gate and associated stairway
occurred. Cracking and deformation was observed on the upstream face with scarps on the order of 0.75m high.

Tapar Dam

Tapar dam is the most important dam to the region, supplying drinking and agricultural water to the surrounding urban and rural cities and towns.
Longitudinal crest cracking up to 1m wide and 300m long was observed.

Failures on the upstream face with scarps on the order of 0.75m high.

Lateral spreading at the toe and along the lower upstream face.

Extensive liquefaction along the upstream toe with ejecta consisting of silty sand. Sand boils also occurred downstream.

Lateral spreading resulting in a down-dropped section.

Cracking here associated with liquefaction along the upstream toe.

Cross section of Tapar Dam.