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Leakage and abutment slope stability analysis of Arjo Didesa dam site, western Ethiopia

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Abstract

Arjo Didesa dam is located in western Ethiopia which is designed for irrigation purposes to improve the food security problem in the country. This site is characterized by a complex geological and structural setup that makes it susceptible to engineering geological problems of leakage and slope instability. This study is, therefore, aimed at evaluating the leakage and abutment slope stability of the dam site. The leakage evaluation was done based on results obtained from the Lugeon tests, while slope stability analysis was performed using the kinematic method, limit equilibrium method (LEM), and finite element method (FEM). From the Lugeon tests conducted along the dam axis, more than 57% showed a potential for excessive leakage which needs grouting to control leakage. From these percentages with more than 3 Lugeon units (Lu), about 19.04% were classified into high and very high permeability classes. This indicates that rock masses along the dam axis are mostly cut by interconnected open joints. Slope stability analysis through kinematic analysis showed that some slope sections of both abutments are unstable for a planar mode of failure. Further stability analysis using LEM for a planar mode of failure revealed the presence of potentially unstable slopes at saturated conditions. Moreover, both LEM and FEM showed that some slope sections of both abutments are unstable for a circular mode of failure at saturated conditions with the factor of safety (FOS) and stress reduction factor (SRF) as low as 0.1 and 0.132, respectively. The results from slope stability analysis indicated that the water pressure through seepage is the major causative factor of slope instability. Hence, curtain grouting to the depths of 40 m at the left abutment, 53 m at the central foundation, and 43 m at the right abutment was recommended to control the leakage problem. Moreover, removal of overhanging rocks and slope angle reduction and applying rock bolts and inserting drain holes were recommended for slope stabilization in the dam site.

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Acknowledgements

The authors express their sincere gratitude to Oromia Water Works Design and Supervision Enterprise for their data sharing and laboratory testing. The first author also extends his Special thanks to Addis Ababa Science and Technology University and Bule Hora University for providing financial research support and scholarship opportunity, respectively.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, College of Applied Sciences, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Legesse Asfaw & Matebie Meten

  2. Department of Geology, College of Natural and Computational Science, Bule Hora University, Bule Hora, Ethiopia

    Legesse Asfaw

  3. Mineral Exploration, Extraction and Processing Center of Excellence, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Matebie Meten

  4. Department of Applied Geology, School of Applied Natural Science, Adama Science and Technology University, Adama, Ethiopia

    Tola Garo

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  1. Legesse Asfaw
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Correspondence to Matebie Meten.

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Asfaw, L., Meten, M. & Garo, T. Leakage and abutment slope stability analysis of Arjo Didesa dam site, western Ethiopia. Arab J Geosci 15, 1540 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-10827-7

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