The Authors present a case study of a check dam constructed using geocells.  The site is near Satpara, Madhya Pradesh in India.  The check dam was constructed as “Corporate Social Responsibility” by Heidelberg Cement to enhance ground water recharge for the nearby farmlands.  The height of the dam is 3.8m from nalla (stream) bed up to the crest.  The spillway comprises a series of heavy duty concrete pipes of 250mm nominal diameter below the crest with the invert at 2.8m above the bed level, supplemented by an open trapezoidal drain at one end.  The length of the structure is about 20m from abutment to abutment along the nalla cross section profile.   The foundation is 1m into the bed and along the sloping sides.  The subsoil is plastic silt.

The site is remote and almost inaccessible for construction vehicles.  It was therefore proposed to construct the check dam with HDPE geocells of 200mm depth and 660mm seam weld spacing.  The geocells were infilled with locally available non-plastic granular material and the outermost cells on the upstream and downstream sides were infilled with concrete to avoid erosion of material from the outer cells and to restrict ingress of water into the body of the check dam.  To relieve any possible build-up of pore water pressures within the body, suitable weep holes pipes have been provided through the downstream side.

With the use of geocells, the work was carried out with minimum manpower and equipment.  Construction commenced in mid-May 2018 and was completed by end-June 2018, well in time before the onset of the South West monsoons.