APPLCATION OF GEOSYNTHETICS IN CANAL :

CASE STUDIES OF GUJARAT

Vivek P. Kapadia
Government of Gujarat
 CASE STUDY – 1
REINFORCED EARTHEN EMBANKEMENT FOR
RESTORATION OF BREACHED CANAL
 DESIGN FEATURES OF MAIN CANAL

 Largest in the world having carrying capacity of 1133 cubic meter

per second at the off-take point.

 From Ch. 269 km to Ch. 271.5 km is in full bank with bed banking of
1 to 1.5 m - total bank height above the ground level is about 9 m

 Canal bed is 53.70 m wide and the full supply depth (FSD) is 6.5 m

 Designed discharge is 583.57 m3/ s (20,608 cfs)

 Canal side slopes are 2 (H) : 1 (V)

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 DESIGN FEATURES OF MAIN CANAL

Zoned embankment designed to suit the codal provisions, design practices and material
availability

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HISTORY OF CANAL EMBANKMENT FAILURE

Date of Chainage in Side of the Bank

Occurrence km
30-08-2005 272.500 Left
08-09-2005 271.300 Left
17-09-2005 269.700 Left (Huge Breach)

17-09-2005 270.900 Left (Huge Breach)

13-01-2006 271.180 Left

13-01-2006 271.450 Right
11-03-2006 270.300 Right
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HISTORY OF CANAL EMBANKMENT FAILURE

Defects in lining – subsidence 6

HISTORY OF CANAL EMBANKMENT FAILURE

Defects in lining - subsidence 7

HISTORY OF CANAL EMBANKMENT FAILURE

Piping
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HISTORY OF CANAL EMBANKMENT FAILURE

Devastation in Vicinity of Canal

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HISTORY OF CANAL EMBANKMENT FAILURE

Devastation in Vicinity of Canal

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HISTORY OF CANAL EMBANKMENT FAILURE

Chiselled Embankment
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HISTORY OF CANAL EMBANKMENT FAILURE

Chiselled Embankment
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ANALYSIS OF AS BUILT SECTION AND SHORTCOMINGS
FOUND IN THE EMBANKMENT

• No zones with specific soil properties as per design

• Obligatory technical specifications for laying and compacting the soils totally
neglected - numerous locations and bands of loose or inadequately compacted soil
zones

• No chimney filter or horizontal filter blankets to protect the soil and prevent
migration of particles outside.

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ANALYSIS OF AS BUILT SECTION AND SHORTCOMINGS
FOUND IN THE EMBANKMENT

• Due to very loose soil bands there was substantial subsidence of the earthwork -
lining, as a result, cracked irregularly, even big hollows at some locations

• Canal water entering the embankment with relatively high pressure caused
dislodgment of particles in the inadequately compacted soil due to high seepage
forces resulting into piping and progressive failure ultimately

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ANALYSIS OF AS BUILT SECTION AND SHORTCOMINGS
FOUND IN THE EMBANKMENT

Stratified Strata of Soil with No Zoning or Filters

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ANALYSIS OF AS BUILT SECTION AND SHORTCOMINGS
FOUND IN THE EMBANKMENT
• Slip circle modelling can not be taken as stratification of soil and therefore
Finite Element modelling as steady unconfined seepage type problem was
done using four noded element in the self developed program.

• Analysis suggested that the embankment with as built section property was
unstable with the designed head in the canal

Steady Unconfined Seepage Problem 16

ANALYSIS OF AS BUILT SECTION AND SHORTCOMINGS
FOUND IN THE EMBANKMENT

Conceptual modeling of stratified embankment

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 ISSUES WITH RESTORATION OF CANAL EMBANKMENT
• Time of only 10 days was there - drinking water for many towns and villages
depending up on the main canal

• Rainfall had already occurred once, borrow areas were not available and the soil
available was predominantly sand with small amount of clay - for zoning and for
filters suitable material was not available

• In given time and small length proper compaction was a matter of doubt

• Bonding with the surrounding parts of the canal was difficult

• Other than technical issues like people’s wrath, political intervention, movement of
media, etc. were adding fuel to fire.

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 GEOREINFORCED EMBANKMENT AS A SOLUTION
• With permeable soil the embankment was to be reconstructed; zoning was impossible;
compaction to limited level was to be put up with and yet long lasting a solution was to be
worked out.
• All these constraints led to the application of geosynthetic to construct the embankment as the
right solution
Material Properties
Property Unit Value
Weight g/m2 270
Wide Width Tensile kN/m2 50
Wide Width Elongation % 15
Trapezoidal Tear Strength kN 0.50
CBR Puncture resistance kN 6.0
Flow Rate l/ m2/min 260
UV Resistance %/hrs 70 / 500 19
GEOREINFORCED EMBANKMENT AS A SOLUTION

Section for Restoration of Main Canal Embankment

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 GEOREINFORCED EMBANKMENT AS A SOLUTION

Spreading Geosynthetic Sheet Stitching Geosynthetic Sheet

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GEOREINFORCED EMBANKMENT AS A SOLUTION

Restored Main Canal Embankment

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 CASE STUDY – 2
ADDRESSING SEEPAGE THROUGH CANAL
EMBANKMENTS IN BOULDERS
 CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUIND

• Panam dam and its canal network were constructed in early 70s

• Main canal of 22 cumec capacity constructed on toe of

mountains – one side mountain, other side valley –
embankment on the valley side made up of boulders

• Mechanical locking good, but high porosity in course of

time due to migration of smaller particles, flow up to 3
cusec at some locations, lining badly damaged

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PANAM MAIN CANAL

SEEPAGE THROUGH BOULDERS

PANAM MAIN CANAL

Before Repair
PANAM MAIN CANAL
 PANAM MAIN CANAL

HDPE with high puncture strength and low elongation

GEOMEMBRANE AND
CONCRETE LINING WITH
WELDED WIREMESH
PANAM MAIN CANAL

During Repair
PANAM MAIN CANAL

After Repair
 CASE STUDY – 3
ADDRESSING FAILURE OF CANAL
EMBANKMENTS IN SWELLING SOILS
 CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUIND

• New canals need some technique other than use of Cohesive

Non-swelling Soil as inner layer behind lining

• Many canals already constructed from expansive soils have

shown serious failures – their restoration also needs serious
efforts

• Consultants had advised CNS treatment for restoration of

problematic canals

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 OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEM

• A canal of the Sardar Sarovar Project - Tanchha Distributary -

command area 2384 hectare; designed discharge of 1.51 m3/sec to
0.76 m3/sec at the tail; average perimeter of the canal section 5.7
meters (m); bottom width 1.1 m; inner slope of the canal was
1.5:1; outer slope 2:1; full supply depth of the canal 1 m; and the
bed gradient 1 in 6000

• Three patches (Ch 5.65 to 7.17 km, 7.17 to 7.92 km and 7.92 to
8.67 km) where severe water seepage was observed - continuous
length of 3.02 km

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OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEM

• Clayee soil with high swelling pressure

• Canal section disturbed, undulations in the profile hampered the
flow
• Brick lining disintegrated
• Canal banks saturated, phreatic line above toe

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OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEM

• Cyclical swelling and shrinkage

resulted in to pipings at several
places
• Canal banks destabilized
• Surrounding area inundated –
farming impossible
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 PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT OF PROBLEM

• Cracks give way to water and are further widened to form tubular
shape for a significant length called piping

• Embankement becomes vulnerable - embankment becomes

saturated, phreatic line goes above toe and rise of pore pressure

• Many paths of pipings take place and the canal becomes non-
functional

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PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT OF PROBLEM

• During initial stage of swelling, hogging tendency in lining

dominates – shear and bending cracks in concrete or brick lining
allow water to seep through and starts wetting the soil beneath

• Because swelling is non-uniform at different places, upheaval in

lining at some spots are important symptom of commencement of
problem
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PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT OF PROBLEM

• Initially cracks develop in embankment and then piping – it

leaves the lining unsupported at its entry point – big piping
behind the lining makes it to behave as if unsupported slab

• Under load of water, unsupported slab like mechanism causes

sagging as plain concrete or brick lining can take only little
bending and shear and soon fails under constant bending and
shear – then starts visible outflow from the embankment
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CONSIDERATION OF ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS

Providing Concrete Lining with Welded Wiremesh without

Berm
•Reinforcement in concrete lining enables the concrete to take
shear and bending
•Corrosion and speed of work is a problem – welded wiremesh
generally used for gunniting is the right option – only to be spread
and concreting can be done – because of high carbon content
corrosion is retarded
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CONSIDERATION OF ALTERNATIVE
SOLUTIONS

Geomembrane with Concrete Lining without Berm

• Geomembrane is gripped because of weight of lining and water
from all the sides of the piping
• When concrete lining tends to behave like unsupported slab, the
perpendicular forces are resolved in to in-plain tension and
equilibrium is formed

Lining is relieved of shear and bending

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CONSIDERATION OF ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS

Geomembrane with Brick Lining without Berm

• Brick lining relieved from shear and bending - no conventional lining
with mortar joints, frog inverted but bricks in right position i.e. frog up
and single mala plaster 20 mm above brick layer
• A promising solution, not time tested in SSNNL
• Economical and fast to execute

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TECHNO-ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF VARIOUS
ALTERNATIVES

Alternative Solutions Total Cost Per

Kilometer Length
(1)Scrapping the Canal Bank and Redoing with CNS Rs. 28,28,905
Layer and Lining Redone
(2) Strengthening of Canal Bank with Additional Rs. 23,63,480
Berm and Lining Redone
(3) Providing C.C. Lining with Welded Wiremesh Rs. 26,30,280
without Berm
(4) Geomembrane with Brick Lining without Berm
(i) IITD Polyolefin 0.6 mm (i)Rs. 41,09,420
(ii) HDPE 0.3 mm (ii)Rs. 26,61,620
(iii) LDPE 0.3 mm (iii)Rs.
25,98,920
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COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT GEOMEMBRANES
Too high
Parametric Comparison of Various Geomembranes (Testing by I.I.T., Delhi)
Polymer Type IITD HDPE LDPE
Polyolefin Too low
Property Test Method Units Performance (SI)
Thickness ASTM D5199 mm 0.6 0.5 0.25
Weight gm/m2 260 470 230
Puncture Strength ASTM D4833 kN 0.5 0.2 0.06
UV Resistance EN277 For 200 ---- Pass Pass Pass
hours
Breaking Strength ASTM D638 kN/m 36 10 2
Type IV
Too low
Breaking ASTM D638 % 20 500 100
Elongation Type IV
Tear ASTM D5884 kN 0.20 0.22 0.08
Resistance
Too low
Water ASTM D1499 cm/sec 10-6 10-6 Variable
Permeability
Can not relieve lining from bending and shear 43
EXPERIENCES OF EXECUTION, OBSERVATIONS
AND FINDINGS
• Geomembrane should stick
to sub-base having no air
pocket between
• At edges and corners
bending ease is tested –
hinge like movements if
bending ease is not there
• Lining gets disturbed
because of air pockets at
undulations or edges
• IITD Polyolefin was better
than HDPE and LDPE

Handling Aspect - Bending Ease of

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Geomembrane
EXPERIENCES OF EXECUTION, OBSERVATIONS
AND FINDINGS

• Shrubs cropping up from the soil and process of brick laying

would test the material from puncture point of view and proper
folding at corners would be a prerequisite for proper lining

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Pipaliya Minor
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Keshalu Minor

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Keshalu Minor

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Keshalu Minor 49
Vadodara Branch Canal
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Vadodara Branch Canal
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 CASE STUDY – 4
ADDRESSING SLOPE FAILURE OF CANAL IN
SANDY SOILS
 SUJALAM SUPHALAM CANAL
PLANNING TO LIFT 1 MAFT NARMADA FLOOD WATER TO
FILL RESERVOIRS OF NORTH GUJARAT REGION
(IN Rs CRORES)
DANTIWADA
SIPU
ESTIMATED COSTË 2969 .00
DISTRIBUTION NETWORK 73.00
DHAROI
WATER SUPPLY SCHEMES
MUKTESWAR 923.00
TOTAL ESTIMATED COST 4425.00

GUHAI
HATHMATI

MESWO
MAZAM

WATRAK

KADANA
NARMADA
MAIN CANAL
SUJALAM
SUPHALAM
CANAL
CANAL SLOPE FAILURE

Slip Circle Failure

 SOLUTION

Tensile Strength of Geomembrane and Shear Strength of Concrete Lining to be

added to Shear Strength of Soil
 CASE STUDY – 5
ADDRESSING SEEPAGE AND STABILITY ISSUES
IN CANALS WITH SANDY SOILS
OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEM

• Tail Branch Canals of Sardar Sarovar Project passing through

sandy soil and their command areas adjoining dessert

• Capacity about 15 cumec and length about 20 Kilometer

• All the canals have cutting, partial banking and banking – banking
up to 3.5 meter

• SM soil with almost uniform particles and hence compaction the

biggest problem

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OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEM

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OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEM
• Tail Branch Canals of Sardar Sarovar Project passing
through sandy soil and their command areas adjoining
dessert

• Capacity about 15 cumec and length 20 TO 28 Kilometer

• All the canals have cutting, partial banking and banking

– banking up to 3.5 meter

• SM soil with almost uniform particles and hence

compaction the biggest problem 59
 OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEM

Difficulty in compaction and high permeability, both required to be addressed –

larger section required

High permeability means flatter hydrostatic line requiring much larger width of
embankment - economic viability adversely affected

Lower compaction results in susceptibility to disintegration i.e. stability failure 60

OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEM

• Fluctuations in water levels – variations in pore pressure

• Sudden variations in pore pressure may cause spreading or

dispersion failure of the embankment

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OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEM

GCL checks the seepage path

Geogrid checks the disintegration of sand particles 62

 GEOSYNTHETIC CLAY LINER

• Geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) include a thin layer of finely-ground bentonite clay. When wetted, the
clay swells and becomes a very effective hydraulic barrier.

• GCLs are manufactured by sandwiching the bentonite within or layering it on geotextiles and/or
geomembranes, bonding the layers with needling, stitching and/or chemical adhesives.
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 GEOGRID FOR REINFORCED EMBANKMENT
Three levels of Geogrid
1st Layer at [CBL – 0.30] m level
2nd Layer at [CBL + 0.40] m level
3rd Layer at [FSL - 0.40] m level
Property Test Method Unit TG
U-60
Ultimate Tensile MD ASTM D-6637 kN/m 60
Strength CD 20
Reduction Factor (RF) and Machine Direction Long Term Design Strength (LTDS)
Creep 1.55
Installation Sand/ Silt/ Clay 1.05
Damage <7.5 mm Gravel 1.15
Durability pH – 4 to 9 1.15
LTDS – 120 Years, 40° C : Sand/ Silt/ Clay ; pH – 4 to 9 kN/m 32
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LTDS – 120 Years, 40° C : Gravel < 7.5 mm ; pH – 4 to 9 kN/m 29.3
Aperture (± 2 mm) mm 30 X 25
SOLUTION USING GEOGRID AND GEOMEMBRANE

First Stage of Concrete Lining With Paver Machine

Second Stage of Lining With Paver Machine

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SOLUTION USING GEOGRID AND GEOMEMBRANE

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SOLUTION USING GEOGRID AND GCL

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CONCLUSION
 CONCLUSION

In some applications Geomembrane is used as a barrier between

water and soil, in some as a structural element

Selection of right material and right properties is important

Solution philosophy is much different while geosynthetic is used as

compared to conventional engineering solutions

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 CONCLUSION

No weed growth, fast execution, no replacement of soil and hence

no disturbance to canal banks – extra benefits

Conventional solutions are not always more economical than

innovative solutions

Geosynthetic in itself is not a solution but a system with

geosynthetic could be an effective solution for which application of
mind is needed – there could be a failure because of improper
system or choice of improper geosynthetic

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THANKS TO ALL