3D Modelling, Design & Construction of the Jufainah (B6) Dam Crossing a Regional Fault in Al Amerat, Muscat, Oman
ARQ and Partners Consulting Engineers ensuring flood protection with Jufainah (B6) Dam
SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGE
Climate Action & Land and Water Resources
Story Highlights
Relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
SDG Goal 1
No Poverty
End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
SDG Goal 2
Zero Hunger
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
SDG Goal 3
Good Health and Well-Being
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
SDG Goal 4
Quality Education
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
SDG Goal 5
Gender Equality
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
SDG Goal 6
Clean Water and Sanitation
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
SDG Goal 7
Affordable and Clean Energy
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
SDG Goal 8
Decent Work and Economic Growth
Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full employment, & decent work for all.
SDG Goal 9
Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization & foster innovation.
SDG Goal 10
Reduced Inequalities
Reduce inequality within and among countries.
SDG Goal 11
Sustainable Cities and Communities
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
SDG Goal 12
Responsible Consumption and Production
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
SDG Goal 13
Climate Action
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
SDG Goal 14
Life Below Water
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
SDG Goal 15
Life on Land
Sustainably manage ecosystems, combat desertification, reverse land degradation, & halt biodiversity loss.
SDG Goal 16
Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Foster peaceful & inclusive societies, ensure justice access, & build effective, accountable institutions at all levels.
SDG Goal 17
Partnerships for the Goals
Strengthen the means of implementation & revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.
UTILIZED SOFTWARE
PLAXIS, PLAXIS 2D, PLAXIS 2D Output Viewer, PLAXIS 3D, PLAXIS 3D Output Viewer
LOCATION
Oman
ORGANIZATION/COMPANY
ARQ and Partners Consulting Engineers
PROJECT SUMMARY
The city center area of Qurum, a suburb of Muscat, is experiencing a growing number of flash floods. A cyclone recently hit the area claiming 50 lives and causing USD 3.9 billion in damage. To protect the area, Oman’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries Wealth, and Water Resources initiated a flood protection plan consisting of six dams, with ARQ and Partners providing technical support for the Jufainah B6 dam. However, the proposed location was along a geological fault zone, requiring them to undertake sophisticated geotechnical analysis and minimize the negative impacts of the various foundation properties.
ARQ and Partners used PLAXIS 3D to undertake geotechnical stability and deformation analysis to examine numerous preliminary designs and determine their suitability. Their analysis helped the design teams choose and refine the optimal design, greatly reducing the amount of stress placed on the dam’s plastic concrete core while lowering costs by 30% and construction time by two months. With a stable design, the dam will help protect the 700,000 people of Qurum and 120,000 people in Al Amerat from 500-year floods while improving the local aquifer and enhancing local agriculture.