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Integrated methodology involving the full sediment cycle for assessing dam's silting processes: Case study of SMBA dam

IWRA World Water Congress 2025 Marrakech Morocco
Water for Sustainable Development
Author(s): Naïma El Assaoui, Imane Bouchtaoui, Omar Chafki, Abdelaziz Sadok
Naïma El Assaoui, Imane Bouchtaoui, Omar Chafki, Abdelaziz Sadok
Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco
ABHBC (Bouregreg & Chaouia Hydraulic Basin Agency

Poster: PDF

Abstract

Introduction

Dam siltation is a critical issue for surface water managers in semiarid climates like Morocco, exacerbated by water scarcity and climate change. Managers face multiple challenges:

  • Loss of storage capacity • Risks to dam safety (functioning of outlets and intakes)
  • Water quality degradation
  • Significant economic losses

Complexity of the Process Siltation is not a single event but a complex chain of processes:

  1. Water Erosion: Sediment generation in the watershed
  2. Sediment Transport: Transfer by rivers to the dam
  3. Reservoir Dynamics: Entry, deposition, and consolidation


Objective

To improve prediction techniques and better understand this phenomenon to implement appropriate control actions for both the design phase and the management/operating phase