Checkdams are mainly used for soil and water conservation in watersheds. In India, several types of these are being used for regulating water supply in watersheds which in turn help in assured water supply to vegetation.
Generally check dams are made up of cement base and are inelastic in nature. To give more flexibility in release and control of water flow across the streams, research efforts were made at the Directorate of Water Management, Bhubaneswar to fabricate rubber sheets instead of cement material.
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As a result, five rubber dams were installed at different locations of Khurda district, Odisha. These are the first indigenous rubber dams in the country.
As an innovative hydraulic structure, the rubber dam consists of four parts : i) a rubberised fabric dam body; ii) a concrete foundation; iii) a control room housing mechanical and electrical equipment, such as air blower/ water pump, automatic inflation and deflation mechanism; and iv) an inlet/outlet piping system.
The dam height can be raised up to 1.5 m by filling water through inlet pipe (inflation mechanism) and it can be lowered to base level by releasing the water through outlet pipe (deflation mechanism).
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Main advantages are better erosion and flood control during excess water flow. It also provides cushion as a reservoir for storing water during scanty rainfall and can be used during drought.
The assured irrigation created by rubber dams helped in enhancing crop productivity at Baghamari and Chandeswar in Odisha.
The average productivity of rice in kharif season at Baghamari was enhanced from 2.87 tonnes/ha to 4.67 tonnes/ha.
The average productivity of green gram in rabi season at Baghamari was enhanced from 0.63 tonnes/ha to 0.92 tonnes/ha and the productivity of sunflower and cucumber in rabi season are 0.84 tonnes/ha and 4.3 tonnes/ha respectively.
(S.K. Jena is Principal Scientist and P.S. Brahmanand, Senior Scientist (Agronomy), Directorate of Water Management (ICAR), Bhubaneswar, Email: psbanand@yahoo.com; Mob: 9776207101.)