Dam Project Research Articles

An Investigation into the Effect of Near-Fault Ground Motion Duration Parameters on the Nonlinear Seismic Response of Intake Towers

Intake towers, essential for hydraulic hub projects, are integral to maintaining safety and efficiency, especially under seismic conditions that are prevalent near fault zones. These structures are vital for the integrity of hydraulic hubs, effective hydropower generation, and downstream safety. The duration of seismic events notably influences the towers’ structural response. In light of China’s initiative to build numerous high dams and large reservoirs, understanding the interplay between seismic duration and the intake tower response is crucial. This study, utilizing a duration-dependent composite parameter method based on seismic intensity, investigates the impact of near-fault ground motion duration effects on the response characteristics of intake towers. It analyzes the correlation between three types of six duration parameters and six duration-related composite parameters with the nonlinear seismic response of the physical model of the intake tower structure, as well as the rapid seismic response of the simplified model. This study investigates the impact of near-fault ground motion duration on intake towers, which is crucial for hydraulic hub projects, particularly in seismic-prone areas like those targeted by China’s dam construction initiative. Utilizing a duration-dependent composite parameter method, the study establishes a strong correlation between seismic duration parameters and the nonlinear response of intake towers, emphasizing the significance of uniform duration-related composite intensity parameters for characterizing near-fault seismic motion features. The findings reveal a pronounced correlation between the elasto-plastic response of intake towers and consistent duration-related composite strength parameters, offering crucial insights for optimizing structural design and enhancing seismic response assessment, particularly in the realm of large-scale dam projects.

Enhancing Project Performance: Particle Swarm Optimization for Optimal Budget Allocation and Maintenance Scheduling

This study aims to help project-oriented organizations manage their portfolios and arrive at an optimum budget allocation. In this study, the budget allocation process in a portfolio of projects is mathematically formulated. The interactions between the projects as well as the operational and budget constraints are considered. Then, the optimal budget allocation is determined using the particle swarm optimization algorithm. To evaluate the performance of the proposed approach, it is implemented on a portfolio of maintenance projects. In this article, we will explore the application of PSO in portfolio management and how it can help investors make better investment decisions. According to the results, the operational constraints and budget restrictions will significantly affect the optimum budget allocation solution and consequently the revenue of a portfolio. Lack of access to detailed information about the maintenance schedule of dam projects might be a limitation for future application of the proposed approach. It is believed that the proposed approach provides a powerful and efficient tool of optimal budget allocation in portfolio of projects. This research addresses several shortcomings of previous studies for optimal budget allocation.

Attitude-Based Intuitionistic Fuzzy Graph Model for Conflict Resolution With Soft Consensus: Application to Dam Construction Projects

Construction of dam projects built on international rivers usually faces many conflicts due to different interests, values, and preferences of social entities. The graph model for conflict resolution (GMCR) is a powerful and flexible tool to model and analyze strategic conflicts. In this study, we introduce a GMCR model to address construction conflicts among different social entities. To process uncertain and vague information in preferences, this study allows decision-makers to use intuitionistic fuzzy information to express their preference information. First, we define necessary definitions, including the intuitionistic relative certainty of preference (IRCP), intuitionistic satisficing threshold (IST), and intuitionistic unilateral improvement (IUI). When using a graph model to represent real-world disputes, a decision-maker (DM) may have different attitudes toward other DMs. To analyze the influence of attitudes, we originally introduced the concept of soft consensus in GMCR. Then, three kinds of attitudes, i.e., positive attitude, neutral attitude, and negative attitude, are identified. Next, we propose four intuitionistic stability definitions considering the attitudes of DMs. Finally, an illustrative example regarding the Xayaburi Dam dispute that occurred in Indochina Peninsula is provided to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed model.

Analisis Faktor Kunci Keberhasilan Implementasi Last Planner System untuk Peningkatan Kinerja Waktu pada Proyek Bendungan

Infrastructure development is crucial to the development of a nation’s economy. Based on data from the 2021 World Competitiveness Yearbook, Indonesia's infrastructure is ranked 57th out of 64 countries and one of the assessment criteria is related to water resources. Water resource management in Indonesia is still faced with fundamental challenges, including the limited water storage capacity in Indonesia so alternative water resources development is needed, among which is through the construction of dams. In practice, dam projects are very vulnerable to time delays. One of the solutions to this problem is the application of the last planner system method. The implementation of the last planner system can help create major improvements in project planning, increase workflow and productivity, and reduce project time and site accidents. This research has an update regarding the implementation of the last planner system method on a dam project and analyzing the key success factors using SEM-PLS. According to the study's findings, the key success factors of the implementation of the last planner system method on dam projects are budget plan, work schedule, clarity of scope of work, work plan, planning process, and weekly plan

Disregard of aquatic shrews in the Environmental Impact Assessment reports regarding hydropower dams in the Nepal Himalayas

AbstractThe rate of hydropower dam construction on rivers is increasing in emerging economies in South Asia, to achieve economic development goals. These large infrastructure projects are likely to have many negative consequences on freshwater species but have not yet received much consideration. Among freshwater small mammalian species, water shrews are seriously impacted by these large structures. This paper aims to determine if water shrews have been considered during the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of these hydro dam project sites, as well as present the sightings of the water shrews from Nepalese rivers with hydropower potential. We reviewed 44 EIA reports of such projects in Nepal using a set of four criteria and 15 questions to analyze the methods of impact assessment for mammals and the reports on the presence of water shrews in each built area. The study found that the number of mammal species reported during the EIA varied from five to 55 species but no relationships between the hydropower structure's size and any water shrew species were considered in the studies. In almost all EIA reports, the term aquatic ecosystem was prioritized over the term aquatic small mammals, and the latter was not considered in the assessment. The major reason for not considering these species is probably due to the lack of robust methods to capture small mammals such as shrews, or due to survey methods focused only on terrestrial mammals. The Aquatic Animal Protection Act was fully reviewed and assured to be followed in a majority of the reports, yet the monitoring parameters and indicators were not available for aquatic small mammals. Ignoring the presence of these mammals while constructing hydropower plants is a serious threat to their persistence. We also reported the Himalayan water shrew in the Barun River and the elegant water shrew in the Upper Tamakoshi River of Nepal. Therefore, a better understanding of these species among hydropower developers, and all concerned agencies, is essential.

OPTIMASI WAKTU DAN BIAYA PADA PROYEK BENDUNGAN SELESAI (STUDI KASUS PADA PROYEK PEMBANGUNAN BENDUNGAN BENDO TAHAP 2)

The implementation of a project will not be separated from three factors, namely quality, time and cost. Time and cost factors can be calculated carefully and can be optimized. This needs to be done to evaluate the performance of a project, so that it becomes a lesson for the next project. This study aims to measure project performance, create optimal reschedules, optimal crash programs and calculate the time effectiveness and cost efficiency of rescheduling made in the Phase 2 Bendo Dam project. The method used in this study is the earned value and crash program with the data needed in this study is the Budget Plan (RAB), Time Schedule, Project Monthly Reports and Project Financial Reports. Then an analysis of the time and cost performance of the project is carried out, as well as calculating the optimization of alternatives for adding overtime hours and adding labor so that an optimal comparison of time and costs is obtained from the several alternatives. The results of the project performance using the earned value method in terms of costs are more accurate starting from the 18th month to the 25th month, as well as the completion time according to the planned time schedule. Meanwhile, the optimal rescheduling and crash program is adding workers with a cost efficiency of 0.66% of the total cost with a normal duration and time effectiveness of 88 calendar days.

REEXISTENCIAS TERRITORIALES DE MOVIMIENTOS INDÍGENAS EN LA REGIÓN ANDINO-AMAZÓNICA

Movements by indigenous peoples against neoliberal extractivist processes in Latin America have traditionally employed strategies focused on territorial recognition of their identity and culture. The issue under investigation is the recent resurgence of post-extractivist territorial-based social movements that are using strategies based on innovative economic models and creative development. The objective is to study these territorial social movements and socioecological conflicts by analyzing cases in the Andean-Amazonian region in Bolivia and Colombia. The methodology is qualitative and ethnographic, based on interviews and documentary analysis. In the case of the Rositas River in Bolivia, indigenous communities and producers have organized to oppose the construction of a dam and hydroelectric project. In the Colombian region of Cauca, the dispute is over 20,000 hectares of sugarcane monoculture where the local community is fighting to grow corn, beans and yucca. The common characteristics of these movements are ecofeminist involvement, autonomous forms of collective action and political experimentation, new languages, and patterns of struggle and mobilization including the deployment of international alliances

Optimizing heavy equipment combination in excavation work of a dam channel construction to support SDG 9: A case study in the Jragung Dam Project

Optimizing heavy equipment combination in excavation work of a dam channel construction to support SDG 9: A case study in the Jragung Dam Project

Reproduction of efficiency through management accounting practices: Socio‐economic, environmental, and human consequences of NPM reforms

AbstractUsing Giddens (1984) structuration theory (ST), in this paper we illustrate how the efficiency‐driven approaches adopted by a large stated‐owned public company in Latin America (Latin American Multiutility Conglomerate [LAMC]) implicitly resulted in triggering a dam disaster with far‐reaching socio‐economic, environmental, and human consequences. Data for the study were derived through document analysis and conducting unstructured, semi‐structured, and email interviews. Our findings show that the internalization of efficiency as a corporate value at LAMC was further rationalized through the adoption of new public management (NPM)‐based management accounting practices (MAPs) embedded within the market‐led development approach. These MAPs connected agencies and structures in a dialectic way and continued reproducing efficiency through day‐to‐day operations and by enabling the company to champion itself as a successful NPM adopter. However, throughout this process, the socio‐environmental and human costs relating to “the dam project” were overlooked, making the disaster inevitable. The paper questions the market‐led development approach, and NPM‐based MAPs, and calls for further empirical work delineating how MAPs can be implicated in public value creation and promoting publicness in emerging economies. Such work is of paramount importance not only to prevent the “unexpected and unwanted effects of public sector accounting” under NPM and market‐led development but also to save the lives and livelihoods of poor and vulnerable community members in emerging economies.

Land Acquisition and Resettlement Action Plan (LARAP) of Tukul Dam Project, Pacitan, East Java, Indonesia

The Tukul Dam is a development project in Pacitan, East Java, Indonesia. This project is planned to acquire land belonging to residents around the project and the government will resettle affected residents in appropriate places. This research presents a comprehensive analysis of the land acquisition and resettlement action plan (LARAP) for the Tukul Dam Project in Pacitan, East Java, Indonesia. The study involves a survey of 140 affected families to understand their awareness of the project, willingness to relocate, and expectations regarding compensation. The paper provides detailed information about the project, the affected area, types of losses incurred by residents, compensation policies, and the implementation process. It concludes by offering suggestions for improving the compensation process and emphasizes the significance of considering the well-being of landowners. This research contributes to the existing literature on land use policy, irrigation, water stress, and land acquisition, and provides valuable insights for future projects in similar contexts.

Geotechnical Evaluation of Basalt Rocks: A Review in the Context of the Construction of Civil Engineering Structures

Basalt rocks are a common geological formation that plays a crucial role in various engineering applications, such as construction, infrastructure development, and geotechnical engineering. Understanding the physical and geotechnical properties of basalt rocks is essential for ensuring the stability and safety of structures built on or within these formations. It is crucial to understand how basalt rocks deform and fail under applied loads for geotechnical assessments. Deformation and failure mechanisms are influenced by factors such as jointing, weathering, and stress conditions. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis is necessary to ensure reliable engineering designs. Proper site investigations and geotechnical assessments are essential to address these challenges effectively and ensure reliable engineering designs. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the geotechnical properties of basalt rocks, including their origin, mineralogy, physical characteristics, and engineering behavior. The paper also includes case studies of the Sardar Sarovar (Narmada) dam Project and Karjan dam, Gujarat, India, highlighting the successful utilization of basalt rocks in the construction of major dams and underground powerhouse. These case studies provide insights into potential challenges posed by basalt rocks and associated features in the construction of structures and their adequate solutions.

Socioeconomic implications of infrastructure development: Exploring the impacts of water infrastructure through stakeholders’ perceptions

Infrastructure projects create socioeconomic disturbance and negatively affect the living standards of local people. To probe the socio-economic impacts of big infrastructures, this article considers the construction of the Diamer Bhasha Dam project in Pakistan. This study mainly relied on primary sources of data and used the logit regression model to quantify the probability of impacts of selected factors on the living standards of the affected population. We found several socioeconomic factors and financial aspect significantly impacting the living standard of locals. Main factors include less compensation payment, delay in payment, lack of business investment skills and employment opportunities, withholding information from the local population, and corruption. The results reveal that the odds of poor living standards of the affected people are much higher – 14.4 times due to delay in compensation payment and 10 times more due to less compensation. Lack of business investment skills and the negative impact of the project on employment opportunities lower the living standard of local people 10 times and 6 times respectively. Further, withholding information from locals declines the living standard of local people 3 times, and corruption in project activities negatively affects the living standard 1 time. The study also provides policy measures and recommendations for improved living standards.

Hazards of sea level rise and dams built on the River Nile on water budget and salinity of the Nile Delta aquifer

Study regionThe Nile Delta region consists of flat, low-lying areas, where most areas are used for agriculture. It covers an area of 22,000 km2, which is 2.20% of the total area of Egypt. Study focusThis study evaluates the water budget and the salinity due to the Sea Level Rise (SLR) and the reduction in the river water flow caused by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) using the numerical code SEAWAT. Three filling scenarios were considered for the GERD reservoir at elevations 600 m, 621 m, and 645 m above mean sea level (AMSL) for the storage volumes of 17 billion cubic meters (BCM) (scenarios #1), 37.30 BCM (scenarios #2), and 74 BCM (scenarios #3). The impact of these fillings scenarios was combined with SLR of 25 cm, and increasing the abstraction rates from the Nile Delta aquifer by 25%, 50%, and 100%, respectively. New hydrological insights for the regionThe study findings indicated that the SLR and the GERD reservoir filling with increasing pumping rates, especially during the filling periods, would influence the groundwater resources in the Nile Delta. The GERD reservoir filling could alter the freshwater, in which the aquifer salinity increased by 4.47%, 11.48%, and 29.99% for the three scenarios, respectively. The methodology and findings presented in this study might be useful for investing and comparing the impact of SLR and upstream dam projects on the downstream water budget and salinity at other coastal regions.

The Influence of Occupational Safety and Health on Employee Work Productivity (Study on the Kisaran Majalengka Dam Project of Pt. Adhi Karya (Persero) Tbk)

Issues regarding occupational safety and health are important and often overlooked. This is evident from the significant occurrence of workplace accidents. Type, nature, condition and location of work in construction projects that tends to be dangerous resulting in a relatively high level of work accidents that occur to workers compared to other industries so it affects work productivity. The goal of this study is to determine the role that workplace health and safety plays in influencing worker output.
 The methodology employed for this study involves the utilization of a survey approach, employing both descriptive and verification methods. The population of this research consist of the workforce employed at PT. Adhi Karya (Persero) Tbk Majalengka Rentang Dam Project. This research employed a non-probability sampling strategy, specifically the saturation sampling method. The study's sample size was 60 participants. The data analysis makes use of numerous techniques, the t-test for hypothesis testing and other statistical methods such as the classical assumption test, multiple regression analysis, determination coefficient assessment, model feasibility study, and so on.
 The study method followed a survey format and combined descriptive and verification techniques. Employee productivity was found to be affected by both workplace safety and occupational health, as predicted by the study's hypotheses.

A Modeling of Human Reliability Analysis on Dam Failure Caused by Extreme Weather

Human factors are introduced into the dam risk analysis method to improve the existing dam risk management theory. This study constructs the path of human factor failure in dam collapse, explores the failure pattern of each node, and obtains the performance shaping factors (PSFs) therein. The resulting model was combined with a Bayesian network, and sensitivity analysis was performed using entropy reduction. The study obtained a human factor failure pathway consisting of four components: monitoring and awareness, state diagnosis, plan formulation and operation execution. Additionally, a PSFs set contains five factors: operator, technology, organization, environment, and task. Operator factors in a BN (Bayesian network) are the most sensitive, while the deeper causes are failures in organizational and managerial factors. The results show that the model can depict the relationship between the factors, explicitly measure the failure probability quantitatively, and identify the causes of high impact for risk control. Governments should improve the significance of the human factor in the dam project, constantly strengthen the safety culture of the organization’s communications, and enhance the psychological quality and professional skills of management personnel through training. This study provides valuable guidelines for the human reliability analysis on dam failure, which has implications for the theoretical research and engineering practice of reservoir dam safety and management.

Landscape values of large-scale civic infrastructure from visitors’ spatial perception: a content analysis

Many studies have investigated the improvement and evaluation of urban landscape development. However, only a few have discussed how to implement and align landscape values embedded in large-scale civic infrastructures, including bridges, railways, and public buildings. Taking the case of four typical large-scale civic structures, including three bridge sites and a dam project, this study explores how the landscape values embedded in these kinds of structures, whether in urban or suburban areas, are perceived by external visitors with different cultural backgrounds. Content analysis combining a quantitative approach with online user-generated reviews of on-site visits is applied and implemented. The interrelated effect of different spatial characteristics on the landscape values in those civic infrastructures is examined. The findings provide insights into efficient strategies to exploit various kinds of civic structures, especially as a promising tourism attraction for domestic and foreign markets, to achieve a more sustainable vision of public spaces in urban or broader contexts.

An Automated Framework for the Health Monitoring of Dams Using Deep Learning Algorithms and Numerical Methods

Aiming to investigate the problem that dam-monitoring data are difficult to analyze in a timely and accurate automated manner, in this paper, we propose an automated framework for dam health monitoring based on data microservices. The framework consists of structural components, monitoring sensors, and a digital virtual model, which is a hybrid of a finite element (FE) model, a geometric model, a mathematical model, and a deep learning algorithm. Long short-term memory (LSTM) was employed to accurately fit and predict the monitoring data, while dynamic inversion and simulation were used to calibrate and update the data in the hybrid model. The automated tool enables systematic maintenance and management, minimizing errors that are commonly associated with manual visual inspections of structures. The effectiveness of the framework was successfully validated in the safety monitoring and management of a practical dam project, in which the hybrid model improved the prediction accuracy of monitored data, with a maximum absolute error of 0.35 mm. The proposed method can be considered user-friendly and cost-effective, which improves the operational and maintenance efficiency of the project with practical significance.

Post‐dam construction and livelihood revitalization of affected communities at Ghana's Bui dam

AbstractEvidence around dam building worldwide has revealed that the impacts of dam projects can make the livelihoods of the project‐affected people worse off several years after the dam is commissioned. Despite six decades of Ghana's dam building experience, there is paucity of information on the impact of new programs implemented during post‐dam construction on local livelihoods. This study filled in the gap by examining whether the new livelihood enhancement programs introduced by the Bui Power Authority (BPA) at the Bui dam have revitalized local livelihood activities that had been disrupted by the dam construction and resettlement processes. Explorative qualitative data were collected through key informant interviews (KIIs), focus group discussions (FGDs), and field observation in the seven resettled communities at Bui and Jama Resettlement Townships and in three non‐resettled communities at the Bui dam area, including the host community. Purposive sampling was used to select a total of 130 participants for the KIIs and FGDs. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis approach. Results showed that, in general, the new livelihood support programs in the resettled communities such as cage aquaculture production, weaving, and pottery have positively impacted the socioeconomic livelihood activities of the resettlers in recent years compared to the period soon after resettlement. However, low crop yields due to poor soil fertility and small size of farmlands, lack of appropriate equipment to fish on the open water, and land compensation delays were reported to be undermining the livelihood revitalization efforts of the BPA. For effective revitalization of socioeconomic livelihood activities, the new programs should be more inclusive to cover the elderly, the host community, and possibly the neighboring communities instead of its current tilt toward the youth and the resettled communities. The findings showed the persistent impacts of dams on local population and highlighted how livelihood programs could revitalize local socioeconomic livelihood activities. The study contributed to addressing the conceptual question on whether it is possible for livelihood activities of project‐affected people to be reconstructed several years after disruption.

Water Security in the Context of Sustainable Management of Transboundary Water Resources in the Caspian Region

The paper examines water security in the Caspian region and the management of transboundary rivers for sustainable development. It analyzes the potential impacts of building dams on upper river courses on the region's water resources, particularly addressing concerns about environmental implications due to pollution from sources like sewage and agricultural fertilizers.It further investigates planned dam projects and their potential climate and ecological effects on the Caspian Sea and surrounding regions. The paper discusses the idea of desalination as a means to tackle water shortages but underscores its limitations in the closed hydrological system of the Caspian Sea.The primary focus lies in establishing effective management strategies for shared water resources. It introduces a novel perspective by considering these rivers and the Caspian Sea as an integrated water system, emphasizing the far-reaching consequences that excessive dam construction could pose to the overall hydrological balance. Collaboration and international agreements are crucial to navigate this challenge.The paper's significance lies in its innovative approach to water management, addressing the complex interplay between water, energy, food, and the environment in the region.

Compensation, Land Acquisition and Employment Issues Among Displaced People: A Study on Two Dam Projects in Jammu and Kashmir

This study is based on the empirical work carried out in the state of Jammu and Kashmir where the people are forcibly displaced from their ancestral homeland due to dam projects. The objective of the study is to examine the issues of compensation, land acquisition and employment among the displaced people which they faced after displacement. For conducting the research, the study was used as a sampling method particularly purposive and snowball technique with the help of semi-structure interview schedule. It has been observed that after involuntary displacement, the displaced people face lots of challenges with regards to their compensation and employment problems. The respective state government has given only monetary compensation to the displaced families according to the Land Acquisition Act, 1984.