With several irrigation projects in the state falling in the moderate seismic zone, the state government will conduct tests to ascertain their structural safety. The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, has already taken a decision on the issue, following the recent earthquake in China, which the scientists attributed to the Three Gorges project. Official sources said immediate tests would be conducted at all projects built a decade ago. These will include major projects like Srisailam, Sriramsagar, Prakasam barrage and Sir Arthur Cotton barrage, Doweleswaram. "The department incorporated the seismic quotients while designing itself for projects taken up under Jalayagnam following directions from Bureau of Indian Standards. "But for projects built earlier, there were no specific studies conducted with regard to earthquakes," said a senior irrigation official. As a pilot study, the department recently conducted tests at Nagarjuna Sagar, which falls in the moderate zone and it was found to be structurally fit to withstand earthquake. The department will utilise services of National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) and IITs besides appointing a consultant to carry out the tests. The project included studying the existing designs, structural safety and recommend necessary improvements if the structure is not up to the parameters fixed by the BIS. As per the seismic hazard map of India, the state of Andhra Pradesh lies in zones II and III. Besides all projects in the Godavari-Krishna valley, Somasila with a storage capacity of 73 tmc, Kandaleru Natural Dam with 60 tmc, Kalyani Dam, Mylavarm reservoir, Brahmam Sagar and Gandikota (which is under construction), Gundlakamma and Veligonda and Mid Pennar also fall in the moderate zone. Incidentally, Anantapur district, which was earlier in the moderate category was shifted to zone II