Following the earthquake which struck northwest Turkey on 17 August, government authorities report that dams in the area have not been affected by the incident.
Further investigations are still taking place but so far infrastructure damage seems to be restricted to bridges, highways and electricity pylons. ‘There are several dams in the earthquake zone,’ a spokesman from the Turkish Embassy in the UK said, ‘but on the extensive list of damage we have there has not been any concern expressed about dams.’ As IWP&DC went to press, it was confirmed that results from further analysis of the damage will be known at the beginning of September.
The earthquake, which measured 7.8 on the Richter scale, hit several provinces including Istanbul and Kocaeli. Its epicentre was 65km south of Istanbul, in the sea of Marmara, but the nearby industrial region around Izmit experienced the worst of the earthquake.