HEADWORKS &

BARRAGE
CHAPTER # 09
SANTOSH KUMAR GARG
INTRODUCTION
 Direct Irrigation scheme has various parts like permanent canals which take off from
diversion weir or barrage.
 To ensure the continuous supply of water to canals distinct arrangements at specific
heads are made even at low flow.
 The work, which are constructed at the head of canal:
 To divert river water
 Ensuring continuous supply
 Regulated silt free supply
 At certain Minimum Head
known as Diversion Headwork.
WEIR & BARRAGE
 To accomplish the purpose of Diverting River Water by construction a Barrier
across the river.
 Raise the water at upstream of the Obstruction
 Feeding the main canals either from one or two sides
 Ponding can be achieved through Permanent Pucca Raised Crest or Raised by
Supplemented falling Gates.
 If Major part of ponding is achieved by Raised Crest as compared to gates or
shutter, then Barrier is known as WEIR.
 If most of the ponding is done by Gates and smaller portion by raised Crest, then
Barrier is known as Barrage.
 Afflux: Barrages generate controlled floods as compared to Weirs. Through gates
manipulation of controlling mechanism is too easy.
 Gravity and Non-Gravity Weirs
 Gravity Weirs:
When the weight of weir (floor + body) balances the uplift pressure
caused by Head of water seeping below the weir.

 Non-Gravity Weirs:
 Ifthe weir floor is continuous and divided by reinforced piers. The weight of
concrete slab together with weight of divided piers, keep the structure safe
against uplift.
LAYOUT OF
DIVERSION
HEADWORK
COMPONENTS:
1. WEIR
2. UNDER SLUICES
3. DIVIDE WALL:
Dividing the river in Two-portions. One is Weir and Second is Canal take off.
Note: If there are Two canals taking off from flanks. Then there will be Two Divide Walls
and under sluices weirs.
4. RIVER TRAINING WORK:
Marginal Bund, Guide Banks and Groynes
5. FISH LADDER
6. CANAL HEAD REGULATOR
7. WEIR’S ANCILLATORY WORK (GATE OR SHUTTER)
8. SILT REGULATOR WORK
DIVERSION WEIR & TYPES
 Height of weir may be 9.0 meters
 Height of Gate or Shutter over the weir crest may be 1.2 meters or so
 Entire length of river is divided into number of bays by means of piers to
avoid the cross-flow in floods.
 Weir should be aligned at Right Angle to Main river current
 Lesser Length of Weir, Better Discharging Capacity and Lesser Cost
 Right Angle Alignment is better especially for Silty and Sandy riverbed
 An Oblique Angle alignment sometimes can be used for safe and better
foundation
 For Gravel and Shingle riverbed to avoid blockage of canal head regulators.
TYPES:

1. MASONARY WEIR WITH VERTICAL DROP

2. ROCKFILL WEIR WITH SLOPING APRON
3. CONCRETE WEIR WITH SLOPING GLACIS
 MASONARY WEIR
WITH VERTICAL DROP

 With Horizontal Floor and

Vertical or Nearly Vertical
Downstream Face
 Old Headworks like Rasul,
Khanki and Marala
Barrages
ROCKFILL WEIR WITH SLOPING APRON

 Best for Fine and Sandy Foundation.

CONCRETE WEIR WITH SLOPING
GLACIS
 Weirs of Recent Origin with design based on subsurface flow conditions (KHOSLA
THEORY)
 Sheet piles of sufficient depth are driven at of upstream and downstream floor
 The Hydraulic jump is formed on the downstream sloping glacis, to dissipate the
energy
 Used for Permeable Foundation
 Lower crest with Balance gates
Afflux or Pond Level
 The rise in maximum flood level upstream of the weir caused due to
construction of weir across the weir called Afflux
 In the initial stages, water level is raised on the account of afflux up to small
distances equal to backwater curves.
 With passage of time, riverbed rises due to silting caused by reduction in flow-
velocity upstream of weir.
 Water-level required in the under-sluice pocket upstream of the canal-regulator.
To feed the canal with its full supply known as POND LEVEL
 The FSL of canal at the head, depend upon the level of irrigated area and the
slope of canal
The Under-Sluices or Scouring Sluices
 A comparative less turbulent pocket of water is created near the canal head
regulator by constructing under-sluices portion of weir.
 A divide wall separates the main weir portion from under-sluice portion of the weir
 The crest of the under-sluice portion of the weir is kept at a lower level than the
crest of the normal portion of the weir
The Divide Wall
 A masonry or concrete wall
constructed at Right Angle to Axis of
the Weir.
 Extended from upstream side beyond
the beginning of canal head regulator
and on the downstream side.
 Top width of wall is 1.5 to 2.5 meter
 Functions:
 Separates the weir proper from
under-sluice
 Providing less turbulent pocket near
Canal Head Regulator
 Deposition of Silt in pocket and silt
free water to canal
 Keeping cross-currents away from
weir. Saving from vortices and deep
scouring
 DESIGN OF THE DIVIDE WALL
Consideredas Cantilever Retaining Wall subjected to Silt Pressure
and Water Pressure from under-sluice side.
Design should be for full Silt pressure on pocket size with equal
water on both sides during low floods or Maximum Discharge
(Worst-Case).
Valueof Differential Pressure may be taken as 1.0 meter for
waterhead and 2.0 meter for Silt pressure.
 RIVER TRAINING WORKS
 Training works are required near the weir:
To ensure the Smooth and Axial flow of water
Outflanking protection of river due to change in Course.

GUIDE BANKS: Force river in restricted channel

MARGINAL BUNDS: Provided on the upstream of river to save
area from submergence due to rise in HFL.
Earthen embankment protected by SPUR or GROYNES:
 FISH LADDER
 Large rivers are inhabitants of several types of
Fish. Mostly are Migratory known as
Anadromous.
 Migratory fish move from US to DS during
winter season. In river Indus, Blind Dolphin is
Anadromous.
 Arrangement for the safe movement of Fish
from US to DS and DS to US is known as Fish
Ladder.
 Most kind of Fish upstream against a flow
velocity of about 3 to 3.5 m/s
 CANAL HEAD REGULATOR
(C.H.R)
 Is provided at the Head of the Canal the Off-taking Canal

 Regulates the supply of water entering canal

Control the entry of silt in Canal
Preventing river flood entering in canal
 C.H.R is aligned at Right Angle to the Weir but at larger angle (90o to 110o).
 Preferably providing smooth entry of water into Regulator.
 Regulator is provided with Gates with span of 6-10 meters.
 The water from the under-sluices pocket is made to enter the regulator bay to
pass the Full Supply Discharge.
 C.H.R (Continued)
 Maximum Height of these gates
opening called Head Sluices.
 Equal to difference of Pond Level and
Crest Level of Regulator.
 Crest Level also called Sill Level,
governed by silt consideration and by
Discharge Consideration.
 Gate controlled opening are provided from Sill level to Pond Level
 During High Flood, water level in river pocket will be much Higher than Pond
Level.
 To avoid the spilling of water over the C.H.R gates, a R.C.C wall is provided from
Pond level up to the River HFL.
 The wall span of entire length of the regulator and will rest over the piers the
regulator bays, known as Breast Wall.
 Will acts as Vertical Self weight and horizontal water pressure acting against it
from upstream side.
 BARRAGE REGULATION & SILT
CONTROL
 Still Pond Regulation Method: known as Method of Operation. All the gates
of scouring sluices are kept close when canal is running.
 Semi-Open Flow Operation: Water in the access of the canal requirement is
allowed to enter into under-sluice pocket.
 The gates of scouring sluices are kept partially opened.

SILT CONTROL DEVICES

The entry of silt into canal, which takes off from a Head-works, can be reduced by
constructing certain special work called Silt Control Work
 Silt Excluder
 Silt Ejector
 SILT EXCLUDER: Works which are constructed on the bed of the river, upstream
of the head regulator.
The clearer water enters the head regulator and the silted water enters the silt
excluder
 Silt Ejector: called Silt Extractor, are those which extract silt from the canal-
water after the silted water has travelled a certain distance in the taking-off canal.
 Principles of Silt Control: Most of silt tries to settle down in water, confining in
the bottom layers of water.
Silt is kept in suspension by force of eddies curve generated by friction of
flowing water against the curve.
 DESIGN OF SILT EXCLUDER
 Consist of number of Rectangular Tunnels running parallel to the axis of head
regulator and terminating near the under-sluiced weir.
 Tunnel nearest to the crest of Head Regulator has to be at leastof same length as
Head Regulator.
 The roof slab of excluder kept at same level of the regulator crest.