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Time of India

Rubber dam will hold back water on Gondia river

Nagpur: The Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC) plans to a pump up a dam on the Bagh River, which flows through Gondia along the Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra border. Instead of a conventional concrete weir, VIDC plans to install an inflated rubber dam , which can go up to three metres in height. The rubber balloon will be strong enough to hold the river flow, increasing the water level. In times of flood, an inbuilt mechanism will deflate the rubber, allowing the water to flow away naturally. It is a new technology and would cost around Rs109 crore. Instead of building a concrete weir or a barrage, high-grade rubber walls filled with air will act as the barrier. Rubber makes the dam flexible; it will fall flat after the air is released when water has to be allowed to flow away, explained a VIDC engineer. The dam will have three spans held with piers, the source said. The need for a dam on the Bagh River arose due to the falling water level . Over the years, the level has depleted due to diversions for various uses like drinking water to even industries. Due to this, a lift irrigation scheme (LIS) remained unused. A river needs to have a certain minimum level of water for an LIS to operate. The Rajegaon Kati LIS nearby remained unused due to low water level of Bagh River. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ative o software antivírus do seu computador Clique aqui Undo The dam, which will be inflated in the post-monsoon period, will provide some depth to the river, raising the water levels enough to operate the LIS. During monsoons, the dam will be brought down by releasing the air, allowing the water to flow freely, the source said. Even a concrete dam could have been built. However, the Bagh river has typically heavy silt deposits. Following successive monsoons, there is a likelihood of the conventional dam getting covered by the silt, leading to the need for frequent clearing operations. Silt can even flatten a conventional weir. Instead, the rubber dam will flatten itself during the monsoons, and the silt will flow away with the water, said the source. The rubber dam, also called a balloon weir, will be procured through a tendering process. This was seen as an alternative to the silting problem, and the design was approved by the technical advisory committee of the state's water resource department (WRD). INFO HOPE FLOATS Balloon weir is high-grade rubber walls inflated with air, up to 3m high Strong enough to hold back river water In case of flood, inbuilt mechanism deflates balloon, allowing water to flow naturally Balloon weir will hold back enough water for Lift Irrigation System (LIS) to operate Dam will provide depth to river, raising water levels for LIS Concrete dam leads to accumulation of silt, requiring frequent dredging