Dams & Hydro

As part of the scheme to increase the level of certainty of supply from the Mare aux Vacoas Reservoir (MAV) in Mauritius, a dam on the Rivière du Poste with an off-take canal at Arnaud was required by the Water Resources Unit.  Original suggestions for the provision of the dam structure indicated a Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) structure.  A regime of geotechnical investigations was consequently planned to investigate the suitability and properties of the foundation for such a dam.  The investigation commenced in early 2011 and these were completed in May 2011, with the final factual report for investigations being issued after all testing had been completed in middle June 2011.

While assisting with the provision of the geotechnical specifications since 2010, ARQ Consulting Engineers (Pty) Ltd were appointed as sub-consultants to Lux-Consult and PDNA International to undertake the design of the dam in April 2011.

Following further investigation and evaluation, an earthen embankment some 15m high was proposed and subsequently progressed to final design.  Additional work included the detailed design of the diversion canal, spillway and energy dissipation structure, production of tender drawings and associated specifications.

Project details