The Building of Dams

Dam Construction The oldest dam ruins excavated by archeologists are about 5000 years ago. They were built as part of the family water supply system in Jordan's ancient town Java. In the coming thousands of years, dams for water conservation were built throughout the Mediterranean, the Middle East, South Asia, China, and Central America. Later, due to technological development and progress in industrialization in Europe, the dam mechanism was further incorporated into the hydraulic turbines.

Hydropower generation will be cheaper if a dam is built. The problem is the enormous cost of building a dam and the length of time it takes to build a dam. For example, the cost of the Itaip dam cost $ 20 billion, which took 18 years. The actual cost of the hydropower dam is also much higher than estimated roughly and is about 30% higher on average. Dam designers are very optimistic about how much electricity their own dam produces and are often unable to explain the effects of drought. Itaip produces 20% less electricity than expected

To build a dam, you need a series of events to build the foundation of the dam and build a reservoir. Dams are usually built across rivers and form reservoirs in valleys that help to store the water that flows naturally into the water. Sometimes it is built in the valley of a dry valley or a small stream to make a reservoir of water to be transported from other places. (I) Introduction of rivers from the site - Rivers and rivers are transferred to arid areas to construct dams. Small rivers, streams and canals are usually transported through a tunnel, or through a canal made around the side of the dam. Soft soils and rocks are removed to form routes, but hard rocks must be exploded with explosives to loosen the soil and form soft debris.

One of the best places to build a dam is the narrow part of the deep valley; and the side of the valley can be used as a natural wall. The main function of the dam structure is to fill the gap of the natural reservoir line left by the river. These sites are usually sites where the gap is the minimum required storage capacity. The most economical placement is usually a complex structure like a masonry dam with dirt embankments on both sides. The land currently used must be submerged and it is necessary to make it unnecessary.