Design and Development of Rubber Dams

for Watersheds in the Climate Change

Scenario

S.K. Jena, A. Kumar, P.S. Brahmanand, A. Mishra, N. Sahoo,

and D.U. Patil

Abstract
A rubber dam (flexible check dam) is an inflatable structure build across a
stream used for water conservation, flood control, and regulating flow of
water in the stream. When it is inflated, it serves as a check dam/weir, and
when it is deflated, it functions as a flood mitigation device and sediment
flushing. Generally, most of the check dams in watersheds are made of
concrete, steel, stone, soil, or vegetation. The use of rubber as a construction
material is a technological innovation in materials application. At the same
time, the check dams are rigid one and they cannot allow more water to flow
over it at times of heavy flood/runoff or store sufficient runoff to conserve the
rainfall at lean season for use by farmer for different rabi crops like pulses,
oilseeds, and vegetables. To give more flexibility in release and control of
water flow across the streams, research efforts were made at Directorate of
Water Management, Bhubaneswar, in collaboration with Indian Rubber
Manufacturers Research Association, Central Institute for Research on
Cotton Technology, and Kusumgar Corporate Private Limited, Mumbai,
to design, fabricate, and install rubber sheets instead of cement material for
check dams and to study their impact on crop performance. Five rubber
dams were installed as different hydraulic structures for various uses in
watersheds at different locations of Khurda district, Odisha, i.e., Mendhasal,
Baghamari, Badapokharia, and Chandeswar with innovative manufacturing,
fabrication, and installation technology. This is the first indigenous rubber
dam in our country. The installation of rubber dams in watersheds has
increased the production and productivity of rice crop, helped in taking
second crop thus increasing cropping intensity and net profit of the farmers.

Keywords
Rubber dam • Check dam • Watershed management • Flood • Drought
mitigation

S.K. Jena (*) • A. Kumar • P.S. Brahmanand • A. Mishra

• N. Sahoo • D.U. Patil
Directorate of Water Management (ICAR),
Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar 751023, India
e-mail: [email protected]

A.K. Singh et al. (eds.), Climate Change Modelling, Planning and Policy for Agriculture, 93
DOI 10.1007/978-81-322-2157-9_11, # Springer India 2015
94 S.K. Jena et al.

groundwater levels lead to the silting up of

Introduction estuaries, the encroachment of salt water into
groundwater, and the pollution of water by
In climate change scenario we experience more suspended particles and salinization, which in
extreme events of cyclone, flood, drought, long turn reduces the biodiversity in fresh and brack-
dry spells, etc. The intensity, amount, and distri- ish water and consequently fish catches. Lower
bution of rainfall are also not as per the crop river flows also interfere with the operation of
requirement. Secondly land and water are the reservoirs and irrigation channels, increasing
two most vital natural resources of the world, coastal erosion and adversely affecting human
and these resources must be conserved and and animal health.
maintained carefully for environmental protec- Proper watershed management, which is a
tion and ecological balance. Prime soil resources comprehensive term meaning the rational utiliza-
of the world are finite, nonrenewable over the tion of land and water resources for optimal
human time frame, and prone to degradation production and minimum hazard to natural
through misuse and mismanagement. Total resources, could be the solutions to all these
global land degradation is estimated at problems (Jena 2002). There are several
1,964.4 M ha, of which 38 % is classified as measures such as mechanical (engineering) and
light, 46 % as moderate, 15 % as strong, and biological (agricultural) which are used for soil
the remaining 0.5 % as extremely degraded, and water conservation in watershed manage-
whereas the present arable land is only ment. Check dams are engineering measures
1,463 M ha which is less than the land under which are mainly used for soil and water conser-
degradation (Koohafkan 2000). The annual rate vation in watersheds. In India, several types of
of loss of productive land in the whole world is check dams are being used for regulating runoff
5–7 M ha, which is alarming. In India, out of in watersheds which in turn help in assured water
328 M ha of geographical area, 182.03 M ha is supply to crops. Generally, most of the check
affected by various degradation problems out of dams in watersheds are made of steel, concrete,
which 68 M ha are critically degraded and soil, rock (permanent), or with vegetation (tem-
114.03 M ha are severely eroded whereas total porary). The use of rubber as a construction
arable land is only 156.15 M ha (Velayutham material is a technological innovation in
2000). It was reported that in India 0.97 % of materials application. At the same time, the
the total geographical area is under very severe check dams are rigid one, and they cannot
erosion (>80 t ha 1 year 1), 2.53 % of area allow more water to pass over it at times of
under severe erosion (40–80 t ha 1 year 1), heavy flood/runoff or store sufficient runoff at
4.86 % of area under very high erosion lean season of rainfall for use in rabi season by
(20–40 t ha 1 year 1), 24.42 % of area under farmer for different rabi crops like pulses,
high erosion (10–20 t ha 1 year 1), 42.64 % of oilseeds, and vegetable. To give more flexibility
area under moderate erosion (5–10 t ha 1 year 1), in release and control of water flow across the
and 24.58 % of area under slight erosion streams, research efforts were made at the Direc-
(0–5 t ha 1 year 1) (Singh et al. 1992). There- torate of Water Management (DWM),
fore, the problem of land degradation due to soil Bhubaneswar, in collaboration with Indian Rub-
erosion is very serious, and with increasing pop- ber Manufacturers Research Association
ulation pressure, exploitation of natural (IRMRA), Central Institute for Research on Cot-
resources, and faulty land and water management ton Technology (CIRCOT), and Kusumgar Cor-
practices, it will further aggravate. Land degra- porate (KC), Mumbai, to fabricate and install
dation also reduces the world’s freshwater rubber sheets instead of cement concrete/stone
reserves. It has a direct impact on river flow material for check dams and to study their impact
rates and the level of groundwater tables. The on crop performance.
reduction of river flow rates and the lowering of
Design and Development of Rubber Dams for Watersheds in the Climate Change Scenario 95

also acts as a dam/reservoir for storing water

What Is Rubber Dam? during scanty rainfall period (dry spells) so that
supplemental irrigation can be provided to the
A rubber dam is an inflatable and deflatable crops. It also helps in groundwater recharge.
structure used for regulating water flow and This technology has a potential to benefit farmers
store water. Rubber dams are installed to func- in rainfed agroecosystems which constitute about
tion as weirs or barrages which are relatively 60 % of the net sown area.
low-level dams constructed across a river for
the raising of river level for the diversion of
flow in full, or a part, into a supply canal or Installation and Field Evaluation
conduit for irrigation, domestic, industrial use
(Tam 1998). The rubber dam is also known as The different steps followed in successful design
inflatable dam or Fabridam. Most of the civil and installation of rubber dam by the Directorate
engineering structures constructed in the history of Water Management (DWM), Bhubaneswar,
of humankind are made of steel, concrete, soil, or and its impact on agricultural productions are
rock. The use of rubber as a construction material given below.
is a technological innovation in materials appli- (a) Selection of sites for check dam, impounding
cation (Tam and Zhang 2002). structure, and loose boulder structure to
When it is inflated, it serves as a check dam, install rubber dam
and when it is deflated, it functions as a flood (b) Socioeconomic survey of the location where
mitigation device. The head or height of the rubber dams were to be installed
rubber dam is variable. According to the require- (c) Hydrological data collection and analysis
ment its height can be increased or decreased. (d) Design, estimation, and execution of base
This variable head also regulates the depth of structure
flow in the diversion channel for irrigation pres- (e) Fabrication, installation, and testing of rub-
ent in the upstream side of the check dam. ber dam
(f) Development of inflation/deflation mecha-
nism of the rubber dam
Components of Rubber Dam (g) Observation of crop yield data of the farmers
who got benefit from rubber dam
As an innovative hydraulic structure, the rubber Five rubber dams were installed as different
dam mainly consists of four parts: (1) a concrete hydraulic structures for various uses in
foundation with head wall extension, sidewall, watersheds at different locations of Khurda dis-
and wing wall of a normal check dam; (2) the trict, Odisha, i.e., Mendhasal, Baghamari,
head wall replaced by rubberized fabric dam Badapokharia, and Chandeswar, with innovative
body; (3) anchoring mechanism (anchoring of manufacturing, fabrication, and installation tech-
rubber sheet with bottom and side of the check nology. These are the first indigenous rubber
dam); (4) an inlet/out let piping system for infla- dams which were been fabricated and installed
tion and deflation by water; and (5) a pump for in our country by Indian scientists.
filling water for inflation. The dimensions of different important
components of the rubber dams installed in five
different sites are given in the following Table 1.
Advantages of Rubber Dam

The main advantages of the rubber dam are its Installation of Rubber Dam
ability for better soil erosion control (streambed
as well as stream banks or side of channel) and Enough care has been taken during development
flood control during excess runoff water flow. It of the rubber composite along with nylon
96 S.K. Jena et al.

Table 1 Dimension of different components of installed rubber dams

Dimensions (m)
Crest length Spacing between
Sl. no. Sites (width of stream) anchoring bolts Height of head wall
1. Baghamari 5.00 1.20 1.00
2. Badapokharia 2.00 1.50 1.00
3. Mendhasal 2.00 0.50 0.50
4. Chandeswar 1 4.15 1.50 1.50
5. Chandeswar 2 4.15 1.50 1.35

reinforcement that when installed across streams, dam was used for rice nursery raising which
it does not have any adverse effect on water helped in transplanting during the recommended
quality (may be due to oozing out of chemicals period. The stored water in rubber dam was
or any extracts from the rubber composite) and diverted to the right side of dam through diver-
also on crop productivity. It does not have any sion irrigation channel to around 40 ha of paddy
adverse impact on environment. field at Baghamari. From July 15, 2010, to
Rubber composite sheet manufactured by August 13, 2010, there was no rainfall in the
IRMRA was fixed with concrete base structure rubber dam project site, i.e., Baghamari in
through double rows anchoring mechanism. The Khurda district of Orissa. There was water scar-
angle of inclination of side anchoring to the base city and paddy fields became dry. Therefore,
has been optimized by DWM to minimize 19 farmers from village Baghamari got benefit
wrinkles and easiness to inflate and deflate. The by irrigating their fields with stored water by
angle varied within 105 to 150 to the base. The diverting the water through the diversion irriga-
spacing between bolts and also the dimension tion channel present just adjacent to the upstream
and structural strength of different bolts were side of rubber dam. Farmers also utilized water
tried. The dimension and strength of different from this rubber dam in the flowering stage of
anchoring bots were optimized by DWM for rice which is very crucial period (critical growth
different dimensions of rubber dam. The struc- stage) for crop. After harvesting rice, the average
ture was made leak proof (no water flow between productivity of the above farmers in kharif 2010
top of the base of the concrete foundation struc- was found to be 4.67 t ha 1, whereas it was only
ture and the rubber sheet) using different 2.87 t ha 1 in kharif 2009, i.e., before installation
proportions of adhesives like silica gel, M-seal, of rubber dam in this area. The increase in aver-
and araldite and was tested by filling with water age productivity is around 62 %. The rainfall that
through inlet pipe using 1.5 hp kerosene- occurred during the 2nd week of December 2010
operated petrol start centrifugal pump. Two of has been stored in rubber dam and has been used
the installed rubber dams at Chandeswar are by the farmers for rabi pulses, oilseeds, and
presented through Plate 1. vegetable cultivation.
The average productivity of green gram in the
rabi season at Baghamari enhanced from 0.63 to
0.92 t ha 1, and the productivity of sunflower and
Impact of Rubber Dam on Crop
cucumber in the rabi season is 0.84 t ha 1 and
Performance
4.3 t ha 1, respectively. The increase in cropping
intensity at Baghamari is 31 % due to cultivation
Uneven rainfall in the kharif season results in
of green gram, sunflower, and cucumber.
lower rice productivity. Rubber dam helped in
The economic analysis indicated that the
providing irrigation in critical stage of paddy,
intervention of rubber dam has potential to
i.e., in flowering stage and hence it has saved
enhance the gross returns of the farmers by
the crop. Also the water stored above the rubber
Design and Development of Rubber Dams for Watersheds in the Climate Change Scenario 97

Plate 1 Rubber dams installed in watersheds of Odisha by DWM, Bhubaneswar

Table 2 Yield enhancement of different crops after the

62 % from Rs. 28,700 to 46,700 ha 1 if farmers
installation of rubber dam at Chandeswar
grow only rice crop. At the same time, the total
gross returns of the farmers may increase from Pre-project Yield (t ha 1)
condition after
Rs. 45,184 to 70,792 ha 1 if farmer practices (productivity; installation % Yield
rice-green gram cropping system with the addi- Crop t ha 1) of rubber dam enhancement
tional water available through rubber dam, and Pumpkin 6.3 8.5 34.9
the total gross returns may increase to Rs. 72,500 Ridge 5.5 8.1 47.2
and 75,135 ha 1 if farmers practice rice- gourd
cucumber and rice-sunflower cropping system. Cowpea 5.2 6.6 26.9
Similarly, the net returns of the farmers will Brinjal 4.8 6.7 39.6
increase from Rs. 12,400 ha 1 to Rs. 27,600 ha 1,
Rs. 43,942 ha 1, Rs. 43,200 ha 1, and
stored water from rubber dams at Chandeswar
Rs. 47,935 ha 1 under sole rice cropping, rice-
during kharif 2011. The paddy grain yield
green gram, rice-cucumber, and rice-sunflower
recorded a jump of 23 % from 4.14 t ha 1 during
cropping systems, respectively.
pre-project period to 5.09 t ha 1 after installation
The productivity, percentage increase in yield
of rubber dam in Chandeswar 1 and a jump of
of different crops grown close to the rubber dam
19 % from 4.48 t ha 1 during pre-project period
installed at Chandeswar prior to the installation
to 5.33 t ha 1 after installation of rubber dam in
of rubber dam and after installation is presented
Chandeswar 2. The rubber dam at Badapokharia
in Table 2.
has been instrumental in augmenting groundwa-
The yield of pumpkin, ridge gourd, cowpea,
ter recharge.
and brinjal was enhanced from 6.3 t ha 1,
5.5 t ha 1, 5.2 t ha 1, and 4.8 t ha 1 during
pre-project condition to 8.5 t ha 1, 8.1 t ha 1,
6.6 t ha 1, and 6.7 t ha 1, respectively, after the Conclusions
installation of rubber dam. The percentage yield
enhancement was 34.9 %, 47.2 %, 26.9 %, and From the preliminary agricultural and hydrologic
39.6 %, respectively, for pumpkin, ridge gourd, data observation, it is apparent that rubber check
cowpea, and brinjal. Thus, the productivity of dams can be well utilized for achieving sustain-
summer vegetables at Chandeswar enhanced sig- able crop production and could be instrumental
nificantly due to assured water supply from the for enhancing crop and water productivity in
installed rubber dams. Similarly, 30 ha of rice watersheds. It does not have adverse impact on
fields were irrigated at critical stages through environment. It can be easily installed and
98 S.K. Jena et al.

operated by farmers of the watersheds. There is management for food, employment and environmental
almost no maintenance except the running cost of security during 9–13 November 2000, New Delhi,
India, pp 1–22
filling (inflating) with water at the time of need. Singh G, Babu R, Narain P, Bhushan LS, Abrol IP (1992)
Soil erosion rates in India. J Soil Water Conserv 47
(1):97–99
Tam PWM (1998) Application of inflatable dam
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