Assessing the stability of the reservoir rim in moraine deposits for a mega RCC dam

Khalid Ahmad; Umair Ali; Khalid Farooq; Syed Kamran Hussain Shah; Muhammad Umar; Khalid Ahmad; Umair Ali; Khalid Farooq; Syed Kamran Hussain Shah; Muhammad Umar

doi:10.3934/geosci.2024017

AIMS Geosciences

2024, Volume 10, Issue 2: 290-311. doi: 10.3934/geosci.2024017

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Research article

Assessing the stability of the reservoir rim in moraine deposits for a mega RCC dam

1.
Riyadh Geotechnique & Foundations Co., Al-Khobar 31952, Saudi Arabia
2.
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
3.
Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Construction and Building Materials, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
4.
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore 54890, Pakistan
5.
National Institute of Transportation - Risalpur, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad 23200, Pakistan
6.
Department of Civil Engineering, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Lahore 54770, Pakistan

Received: 22 February 2024 Revised: 02 April 2024 Accepted: 15 April 2024 Published: 28 April 2024

Diamer Basha Dam is an under-construction, 272-meter-high, roller compacted concrete (RCC) dam on the Indus River in Pakistan. Once constructed, it will be the world's highest RCC gravity dam with a 105-kilometer-long reservoir. Most of the reservoir lies in unstable moraine deposits with steep slopes. Events like saturation during reservoir filling, alternate wetting, drawdown during reservoir operation, or a seismic event could trigger a large mass movement of these slopes into the reservoir to disrupt the dam functionality. This work identified the 15 most vulnerable slide areas using digital slope maps, elevation maps, and satellite imagery. Deterministic slope stability analysis was carried out on the identified sections under various stages of reservoir operation for static and seismic loading, using pseudo-static and dynamic analysis approaches. Probabilistic analysis was then performed using Monte Carlo simulation. The findings showed that most moraine deposits would collapse under reservoir filling, rapid drawdown, or seismic activity. Following the assessments, landslide susceptibility maps were generated, and an assessment of potential impacts, including the generation of dynamic waves, reservoir blockage, increased sediment loads, and reduced reservoir storage capacity, was also performed.
- reservoir rim,
- dams,
- slope stability analysis,
- shear strength,
- statistical analysis,
- safety and hazards
Citation: Khalid Ahmad, Umair Ali, Khalid Farooq, Syed Kamran Hussain Shah, Muhammad Umar. Assessing the stability of the reservoir rim in moraine deposits for a mega RCC dam[J]. AIMS Geosciences, 2024, 10(2): 290-311. doi: 10.3934/geosci.2024017

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Abstract

Diamer Basha Dam is an under-construction, 272-meter-high, roller compacted concrete (RCC) dam on the Indus River in Pakistan. Once constructed, it will be the world's highest RCC gravity dam with a 105-kilometer-long reservoir. Most of the reservoir lies in unstable moraine deposits with steep slopes. Events like saturation during reservoir filling, alternate wetting, drawdown during reservoir operation, or a seismic event could trigger a large mass movement of these slopes into the reservoir to disrupt the dam functionality. This work identified the 15 most vulnerable slide areas using digital slope maps, elevation maps, and satellite imagery. Deterministic slope stability analysis was carried out on the identified sections under various stages of reservoir operation for static and seismic loading, using pseudo-static and dynamic analysis approaches. Probabilistic analysis was then performed using Monte Carlo simulation. The findings showed that most moraine deposits would collapse under reservoir filling, rapid drawdown, or seismic activity. Following the assessments, landslide susceptibility maps were generated, and an assessment of potential impacts, including the generation of dynamic waves, reservoir blockage, increased sediment loads, and reduced reservoir storage capacity, was also performed.

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