Dams and Pans

KEY AREAS OF EXPERTISE

• Earth Dams up to 15 m in height, including spillway, drawoff and ancillary works (access roads, pump houses, etc).
• Pans- lined with synthetic liners or unlined
• Sand Dams on sandy ephemeral water courses.

Rural Focus has been involved in a variety of dam and pan projects, covering projects from reconnaissance, siting, design, construction to final certification.

Rural Focus recognizes that part of the solution to water scarcity is harnessing runoff and flood flows. Rural Focus is committed to making water conservation structures which are affordable, effective and sustainable.

Rural Focus has pioneered the design and implementation of self regulating weirs in combination with dams to ensure that flood water abstraction from rivers is reliable and in compliance with water and environmental regulations.

Rural Focus has pioneered the use of donkey drawn dam scoops for the rehabilitation of pans in pastoral areas.

Rural Focus has been involved with the Water Resource Management Authority (Kenya) in the development of the Codes of Practice for dam design, construction, operation and maintenance.

Typical projects include:

• Dams or pans to build water security for horticultural farms
• Pans and 'berkads' in the rangeland areas to support pastoral livelihoods
• Sand dams in combination with adjacent shallow wells