Application of inflatable dam technology : problems and countermeasures

The history of the use of inflatable dams has been a long one in Hong Kong. The first three inflatable dams were constructed in the sixties as an integral part of the Plover Cove Water Supply Scheme. Up to December 1996, a total of 16 inflatable dams had been constructed. The use of rubber as a construction material has been subject to much skepticism. There are many reasons for this and one of them is clearly the problem of durability. Despite the many problems, rubber dams have been successfully implemented in Hong Kong. Most of the rubber dams in Hong Kong had been constructed by the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, Hong Kong Government, for the replacement of polluted agricultural weirs which were still in use. A rubber dam is inflatable and deflatable; when it is inflated, it serves as an agricultural weir (low-level dam) and when it is deflated it functions as a flood mitigation device. This note reviews the problems associated with the application of the technology in Hong Kong. Some countermeasures are suggested.