Neckartal Dam Project

Project Overview

The Neckartal Dam, which is located outside Keetmanshoop in the south of Namibia, is a curved gravity dam constructed with roller compacted concrete (RCC). The structure, across the Fish River, has a crest length of 520 m and a height of 80 m, capable of storing 850 Mm³ of water. Over 1 Mm³ of RCC is needed to complete the dam wall. The dam water irrigates agriculturally developed land, aligned to the government’s “Green Scheme Policy,” approximately 21 km away. From a downstream abstraction weir, pumped water is piped to a reservoir above the irrigation area, then gravity fed to farms. Controlled release of the dam water to the weir fills the reservoir and, simultaneously, generates hydropower.

Project Role

In the initial phases of the project, Knight Piésold researched old feasibility studies and then conducted additional ones to determine whether a governmental irrigation scheme would be possible in the very dry //Kharas Region in the southern part of Namibia. Once the Ministry of Water, Agriculture and Forestry had approved the preliminary report, Knight Piésold was tasked with designing the full scheme.

Sub-consultants were contracted to assist with the appropriation of land, agricultural designs, mechanical equipment designs and inspections, electrical designs and inspections including liaison with NamPower to provide the electricity to the scheme and hydropower designs and inspections. The main roles undertaken include:

• Feasibility studies
• Environmental impact assessment
• Roller compacted concrete dam design
• Grouting procedures
• Pump station design
• Structural design of surrounding building structures
• Road design
• Pipeline design
• Hydroelectric power generation plant design
• Construction drawings
• Quantity calculations and verification
• Site supervision
• Quality control during construction

Awards

• High Commendation, Neckartal Dam Project, 2021Construction World Awards
• High Commendation, Neckartal Dam Project, 2018 Construction World Awards