What is Dam ?

The valley slopes on either side of the dam wall to which the left & right end of dam are fixed to.

In 1975, the Banqiao Dam in China was among many dams that were destroyed after the extreme rains of Typhoon Nina. It is estimated that between 90000 and 230000 lives were lost as a result of the Banqiao Dam breaking.

In 1975, the Banqiao Dam in China was among many dams that were destroyed after the extreme rains of Typhoon Nina. It is estimated that between 90000 and 230000 lives were lost as a result of the Banqiao Dam breaking.

Level or gently sloping tunnel like passage (small room like space) at transverse or longitudinal within the dam with drain on floor for seepage water. These are generally provided for having space for drilling grout holes and drainage holes. These may also be used to accommodate the instrumentation for studying the performance of dam.

Depending upon the type of material used, the embankment dams may be an earth fill dam or rock fill dam or mixed-type embankment. The clay core wall is made up of simple dug up and cleared, thoroughly compacted, puddled clay or rolled clay. It is followed by two or more layers of proactive transitional layers before the actual “fill” starts. The Hirakud dam in Orissa is one of the longest embankment dams of our country.

Dams are structural barriers built to obstruct or control the flow of water in rivers and streams.

Opening in the dam near the base, provided to clear the silt accumulation in the reservoir.

Whereas a decision regarding placing a dam across a particular river and creating a reservoir or basin is always based on socio-economic considerations, its design and construction are essentially civil engineering activities involving important geotechnical parameters.

They are designed to serve two broad functions. The first is the storage of water to compensate for fluctuations in river discharge (flow) or in demand for water and energy.

Their sheer dimension and immense capacity have this humbling effect on anyone that would come across this structure. It's literally like standing in front of a calm, reassuring giant staring at you in all its glory. And it goes without saying, dams are one of the most intricately designed structures in the world. Here, you will discover some of the largest and groundbreaking dams around the globe, which have become producers of sustainable energy.

The space between the highest level of water in the reservoir and the top of the dam.

The availability, cost and quality of the materials required for the construction of the dam.

The space between the highest level of water in the reservoir and the top of the dam.

The second is the increase of hydraulic head , or the difference in height between water levels in the lake created upstream of the dam and the downstream river.

The exact location where the dam should be placed against the river along its longitudinal profile

First on my list of fascinating dams would have to be the Contra Dam or most commonly known as the Verzasca Dam in Ticino, Switzerland. It is perhaps most famous for its 1995 epic appearance in the opening scene of the James Bond movie GoldenEye.

Level of permanent storage below which the water will not be withdrawn.

The availability, cost and quality of the materials required for the construction of the dam.

ontra Dam is a slender concrete arch dam standing at a height of 220 m with a crest length of 380 m. Because of the dam's slender design, the volume of concrete required to construct it was reduced and consequently cutting down the cost of the infrastructure. The dam's base is 28 m in width and gradually tapers up to 7 m at the crest.

Tunnel constructed to divert or change the direction of water to bypass the dam construction site. The dam is built while the river flows through the diversion tunnel.

Obviously, answers to above questions would involve very systematic and thorough geological investigations along the river valley in general and in some preliminarily selected areas in particular. The problem may be divided, for discussion purpose, into two categories – geotechnical considerations for dam sites and for reservoir sites. The two are, however, intimately interlinked and both the dam site and the reservoir area must be geologically suitable for a safe, stable and economical project.

Storage dams: They are constructed to store water during the rainy season when there is a large flow in the river. Many small dams impound the spring runoff for later use in dry summers

First on my list of fascinating dams would have to be the Contra Dam or most commonly known as the Verzasca Dam in Ticino, Switzerland. It is perhaps most famous for its 1995 epic appearance in the opening scene of the James Bond movie GoldenEye.

Topographically, a place which is most suitable for the purpose is selected. Ideally, it would be a narrow gorge or a small valley with enough catchment areas available behind so that when a dam is placed there it would easily store a calculated volume of water in the reservoir created upstream.

Lago di Vogorno is a reservoir that was created and now impounded by the dam when it was constructed between 1961-1965. This reservoir has a maximum capacity of 105,000,000 cubic meters of water and a surface area of 400 acres.