Risk Assessment Techniques for Evaluating Dam Safety-A Review.

Abstract

Dams play a crucial role in a country’s development in various aspects including irrigated agriculture, power generation, water resource management, etc. Despite providing substantial social and economic benefits, dams pose significant risks, the consequences of which can be catastrophic. Considering the vulnerable state of ageing dams, risk-informed dam safety management has become a major concern in dam engineering. This paper reviews three currently practiced traditional risk assessment techniques for evaluating dam safety namely, the Factor of Safety Method, Failure Modes and Effects Analysis, and the Event Tree Analysis. These methods are compared, for their strengths, weaknesses, and room for further improvements. It is identified that the currently practiced risk assessment techniques in dam safety should pay greater attention to the effects of climate change on dam performance. Moreover, with the aid of advanced modelling techniques, geospatial data integration, stochastic simulations, Big Data analytics, etc. these risk assessment techniques can further be matured and efficiently applied in the field. The importance of periodic dam safety-risk assessment practices in the face of mutating climate changes is highlighted through this review and looking forward, blending traditional risk assessment techniques with advanced technological tools, ultimately laying the groundwork for an integrated approach to dam safety management is emphasized.