Risk Management of Large Dams under Operation Stage and Case Studies for Cascade System

Abstract

In recent specifications, there are regulations stating that there should be no accidents on construction sites. In fact, construction-related risks have cultural, social, and technological dimensions, and risks can be minimized by appropriate identification of these factors. Although there are no great social and cultural uncertainties in the applications carried out so far, the technological dimension, especially the use of digital technologies, has been at a minimum level. Currently, the construction industry investigates how social-technical systems interact during the construction of all large engineering structures, including dam structures, and their effects on risks at construction sites. However, after the completion of the construction of these structures, management of the risk posed by the relevant structures for the environment is a very separate issue. This study focuses on the total risk of dam structures that have been constructed and are in the operational stage. Due to damage or failure of a dam, downstream life is affected and huge hazards may occur. In fact, major disasters may occur depending on the amount of water to be discharged. For this purpose, the risk of dams is defined according to their type, height, amount of water they store, age of the dam, downstream evacuation requirement, and potential damage area. In newly presented methods, local ground effects are also included. In addition, the fact that the relevant structure is in a cascade system affects the degree of hazard that will occur and increases the total risk of the system. In this study, the parameters affecting the total risk of dam structures in the operational stage are summarized, various total risk methods are mentioned, the total risks for two separate rivers located in the largest basin of the country are discussed and the necessary measures to be taken on the basis of risk management are suggested. Finally, a new concept is introduced for risk management of dams in the cascade system.