Dam: Dam can be defined as a barrier which holds the water or underground watercourses.
The main function of the dam is to prevent or to stop the flow of surplus or additional water into specific areas. Some dams also serve to produce electricity and dams can also be utilized to gather the water and store it which can be distributed thereafter to the locations. Importance of Dams in Oman: Sultanate of Oman is located within arid and semiarid climatic region having an average rainfall of 100mm ranging from 350mm in mountainous region to 10mm in dry and desert areas. Instead of such a dry climate in Oman, heavy rainfall cause flooding because of rocky slopes which lead to loss of large quantity of water in the desert or the sea. Due to very low rainfall in Oman and which is the only source of water cycle in Oman there has been a huge shortage of water due to rapidly increasing water demand, quick development in the country and the use of large amount of underground water. This has led to an estimated shortage of 378 million cubic meters according to a report published by Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources. Types of Dams in Oman: There are two types of dams which are used in Oman and they are listed below. Gravity dams Earth fill dams Rock fill dams
Gravity Dams: These type of dams hold the water with the help of sheer force of their weight pushing downward. In order to hold the water, gravity dams should contain a heavy mass so that the stored water should not be able to push the dam downstream. The thickness of these dams at the base is much more when compared to the top. This is due to the reason that as the depth of the water increase, it applies more horizontal pressure on the dam surface, however, gravity dams near the top because the pressure exerted by water is much more less. A use of thick base in dams helps the dam to bear more water pressure at reservoir bottom.
Gravity dams are mostly made up of concrete(mixture of cement, aggregates and water). This is due to the reason that with the usage of concrete the weight of the dam can resist the horizontal forces applied on it by the pushing water. This is why these type of dams are called gravity dams. Gravity dams have triangular cross section and steep upstream face. The difference in the gravity dams shape compared to other type of dams is that the water facing side of the dam is perpendicular to the water.
Figure 1: Cross section of gravity dam
Figure 2: Gravity dam
Earth Fill Dams: Earth fill dams have been built since early days of human civilization. These type of dams are commonly built dam of any height. The design of earth fill dam consist of non-overflow section having distinct spillway. The main reason for such extensive construction and use of earth fill dams are listed below Foundation requirement are less rigorous compared to other type of dams The main construction material utilized is the local available soil Easy to construct without requiring high skill No requirement of any special plants but instead only earth-moving machines can be used
Earth fill dams can be classified in further two types depending on the method of construction a) Rolled fill dams b) Hydraulic fill dams Rolled Fill Dams: In this type of dam embankment is constructed in successive layers which is mechanically compacted. Each layer of 20mm thickness is laid and well compacted only then the next layer is placed. The material used is brought from suitable borrow pits with the help of earth moving machineries which is thereafter spread with the help of motor grader, and sprinkled with water and then compacted using compactor. Hydraulic Fill Dams: In the construction of these type of dams the materials are excavated, transported and placed by using hydraulic methods. The outer edges of the embankments are kept somewhat higher compared to the middle part of each layer. While construction the excavated material which is in the slurry form is pumped and released at the edges. The slurry of excavated material and water constitutes of coarse and fine material. During the discharging of slurry at the edges the coarser material settles whereas the finer material moves to the middle part and settles. Since the fine material settle at middle part therefore it forms a water tight central core. No compaction is required for this method of construction.
