A Dam is a barrier constructed that holds back the water and raise its level, forming a reservoir used to generate electricity or as a water supply. Have you ever wonder where does the water for us comes from and for electricity? Mountains, rivers, reservoirs? Well before digging deep into these concepts we must know -what is a reservoir? and also the Importance of Dams.
Now, the question that emerges is why do we need dams and what is the importance of dams? Also sometimes we run out of the water and the most important aspect of having water available easily is Reservoir- we hold water in reservoirs and to do this we build dams.
Dams are important because they provide water for domestic, industry and irrigation purposes and it is about time we should recognize the importance of dams besides dams often also provide hydroelectric power production and river navigation. Domestic use of dams includes basic use of water on a daily basis such as- Drinking water, Cooking, Washing of clothes and watering the plants.
In order to prevent excess overflow of water, dams store water in dams and they release the water during the low flow of water for various purposes.
Dams from the perspective of Civil Engineering:
If you are Civil Engineer then the chances are that you are going to work for Splash Engineering (also known as a municipality) of the country and the Government often receives a lot of complaints from its residents most often.
The dams have their advantages as well as disadvantages and at the same time and some of the most of the time do provide the profitable results but sometimes they fail to provide the required results and create some problems for the Government as well as for the residents who reside near the dam. The main problems include:
- The main problem is the lack of water during the summer season.
- Farmers face a problem because of the lack of water.
- Flash floods ruin the houses and the routes.
- Air pollution from nearby coal-fired power plants makes people sick.
Corrective measures by the government:
- The government has taken steps towards the electricity produced by the water and they are producing hydroelectricity.
- Bridges hold equal importance as to Bridges, Roads and other significant elements of the infrastructure.
Advertisement
Importance/ Benefits of Dams:
- Irrigation
- Electrical Generation
- Flood control
- Clean energy
- Water Storage
- Navigation
- Recreation
Types of Dams:
- Diversion Dam: Diversion dams are employ to divert the flow of water from its natural course.
- Buttress Dam: Buttress dams are heavy and less concrete in nature not necessarily cheaper in nature.
- Embankment Dam: Â Embankment dams are made of industrial waste material and known as artificial dams. They contain materials like Plastics, Soil, Sand, Rock, and clay.
- Cofferdam: These dams are often used for various reasons like Bridge repair, Pipe installation or many other construction projects. They are easy to transport and we can use them again for various purposes.
- Storage Dam: As the name suggests the storage dams are made to keep the water inside the dam.
- Detention Dam: These dams are construct to control the flood.
- Gravity Dam
