Deeptesh Karmalkar

ES16BTECH11013

GEOLOGICAL CRITERIA FOR DAMS

The selection of dam site across a river is to impound water behind the dam. Following points are
required

a) Topographically, a place which is most suitable for the purpose is selected. Ideally it should
be a narrow or a small valley with enough catchment areas available behind so that when a
dam is placed there it would be easily store a calculated volume of water in reservoir
created upstream.
b) Technically, the site should be as sound as possible, strong, impermeable and stable. Strong
rocks for design, impermeable for inventory for store water and stability with reference to
seismic failures.
c) Constructionally, the site should not be far from deposits of materials which would be
required for constructing.
d) Economically, the benefits arising out of a dam is proposed to be placed at a site should be
realistic and justified in terms of land irrigated, power generated, and water stored i/c flood
averted.

A narrow U-shaped valley i.e. a narrow stream flowing between high rocky walls would suggest a
concrete dam.

The ideal foundation should be built over a uniform formation. The underlying rocks should be
strong enough to bear weight of dam and to withstand thrust of pressure of the impounded
water. Ideal beds are thick, compact, uniform and without any structural defect.

Massive plutonic and hypabyssal igneous rocks are most desirable at dam site. Volcanic rocks
which have vesicular structure are not desirable. Shales have slippery base hence undesirable.
Sandstones are suitable for dam foundation. Laterites, limestones and conglomerates are
undesirable. Sedimentary formations with less porosity are desirable. Highly fractured rocks are
undesirable. Alternating soft and hard beds which are inclines at dam site are undesirable
because of weathering.

Spillway disposes the surplus river discharge. The capacity will depend on the magnitude of the
floods to be by-passed. The spillway is therefore much more important on rivers and streams
with large flood potential.

GEOLOGICAL CRITERIA FOR TUNNELS

In designing a rock tunnel, the nature of rock mass with respect to its structural features in
addition to its strength is considered. Fault, fold, joints, shear zones, etc. are harmful features of
tunnel rocks.
 The design aspect of a tunnel including excavation, lining, and support system depends upon the
quality of the rock mass at the tunnel. Among the various geological factors that control the
quality of rock mass, the following are considered while designing tunnel support:

(i) Open joints, clay filling, porous and permeable layers, or foliation planes

(ii) Unfavourable orientation of rock attitudes. The design aspect of a tunnel including
excavation, lining, and support system depends upon the quality of the rock mass at the tunnel.

Among the various geological factors that control the quality of rock mass, the following are
considered while designing tunnel support:

(i) Open joints, clay filling, porous and permeable layers, or foliation planes

(ii) Unfavourable orientation of rock attitudes

(iii) Fault or shear zone or karstic condition

(iv) Swelling type of clay

(v) Build-up of water pressure

(vi) Presence of in-situ stress or deformed rock

(iii) Fault or shear zone or karstic condition

(iv) Swelling type of clay

(v) Build-up of water pressure

(vi) Presence of in-situ stress or deformed rock

POLAVARAM LIFT IRRIGATION PROJECT

Polavaram Project, also known as the Indira Sagar project is an under construction multi-
purpose irrigation project on the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh. Its reservoir spreads into
parts of Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

The proposed dam site at Polavaram is located where the river emerges from the last range of
Eastern Ghats into plains covered with deep alluvial sandy strata. The river width at Polavaram is
about 1500 m. In view of large depth of excavation which is more than 30 m deep, to reach hard
rock at this dam site, the dam project was not found economical to take up. However, a lucrative
alternate site is feasible located in upstream of Polavaram site where the river passes through
deep gorges of Papi hill range. The width of rover is about 300 m only in the rocky gorge stretch.
Thirty years back, this alternative was found technologically challenging task to connect the
reservoir with the irrigation canals via tunnels across the ghat area. The slope of the river from
Polavaram towards downstream side is 0.2 m/km

The spillway and non-overflow dam are founded on Khondalite bed rock. These rocks are
feldspars -rich and contain soft graphite, hard garnet in addition to other minerals. Khondalites
are highly weathered and hence unsuitable at dam site.

The dam construction involves building of a 1.5 m thick concrete diaphragm wall up to depths of
0 to 120 m below the river bed under the earth dam which is first of its kind in India. The
 purpose of diaphragm wall is to secure the river bed stability for withstanding the water
pressure across the dam. The project would constitute an earth-cum-rock fill dam of 2,310
metres length, spillway of 907 metres with 44 vets to enable discharge of 3,600,000 cu ft/s of
water. The spillway is located on the right bank of the river for which nearly 5.5 km long and 1.0
km wide approach and spill channels up to river bed level is envisaged involving nearly 70 million
cubic metres earth/rock excavation which is nearly 2/3rd of the project’s total earth work.

The flanks of the river at the dam site are dotted with spurs and hillocks necessitating
construction of several saddle dams. The abutments are marked by the presence of back
swamps forming prominent saddles. The bedrock is available at depths ranging from 31 to 46m
over total width of about 1020 m of river section at the dam site. However, depths of 46 to 82 m
are indicated in the remaining 20 m stretch of river section. In view of large depth of excavation
to reach hard rock at the dam site, which is more than 30 m deep, it is decided to have an earth-
cum-rockfill dam in the riverbed.

The project area falls under Zone-III as per the Bureau of Indian Standards Code IS 1893-1894 –
“Criteria for earth quake resistant design of structures”.

NOTE ON FIELD TRIP TO GSI

We were greeted with Kimberlites which act as the main source for getting diamonds as they are
usually pushed up on the crust from the mantle where the diamonds are formed.

There was a display of wide variety of rocks and minerals and fossils in the museum. There were
granites, pegmatites, basalts and other igneous rocks along with conglomerate, sandstones and
shales. Gneiss and quartzite were also on display along with other metamorphic rocks. A
petrified wood was to be seen which was almost 7 feet long. The age of the trunk could be
calculated counting the rings on it. An almost complete fossil of “Rhynchosaur” was to be seen in
its fossil form as well as a model of its life size form. A femur bone of a dinosaur was also seen
which was as long as 5 feet. A variety of minerals were also on display. From Talc to Corundum.,
from gypsum to quartz, from calcite to orthoclase all naturally occurring minerals were to be
seen.

The geotechnical laboratory showed us how to measure the shearing strength of the soil. A
sample of soil was taken in a cubic container and was exerted upon by two forces perpendicular
to each other. The resulting strain would determine if the soil is stable enough as foundation or
not. We also got a few tips about construction of a dam.

We then were taken to petrological lab, where we could see different rocks under the
petrological microscope. We could see microscopic structures, different minerals and their
properties such as pleochroism. From such microscopic analysis we can also determine the
properties at the macroscopic scale such as fractures which are not visible to the naked eye.

The final part was at the Rock Gardens as we were taken on different type of rocks available in
South India. Most them consisted of granites and gneiss. A few others were sedimentary for e.g.
the Laterites in Kerala. There were also a series of rocks showing the history of the rocks in
Southern India.