La Gogue dam rehabilitation works now 97% complete to be fully completed in 2022

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La Gogue dam, a homogeneous earth embankment water reservoir that is located near Victoria, Anse Etoile, Seychelles, and which is currently undergoing rehabilitation works with a 97% completion rate, is expected to be fully completed and to resume operations next year (2022).

This was revealed by the project coordinator for the La Gogue dam project, Erna Victor, saying that “the only remaining works are being carried out at the south saddle dam, while piling works are expected to begin on the right abutment, to address seepages.

Also Read: Construction works on La Gogue Dam in Seychelles now 70% complete

Noteworthy, a saddle dam is a water barrier built in a topographic depression or rather gap on the rim of a reservoir whose main objective is to increase the water storage capability of a dam. In the La Gogue dam case, works on the south saddle dam will improve the stability of the slope and control seepages through the dam structure, once it reaches its maximum capacity of 1.6 million cubic meters.

Start of the La Gogue dam rehabilitation works

Work to rehabilitate/expand the capacity of the La Gogue dam by 600,000 cubic meters began in January 2018 with a planned deadline of June 2020. However, due to several delays, the project is now expected to be completed approximately two years behind schedule.

Some of the factors attributed to the delays include the restrictions in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic and rain among others.

The project is being developed by the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC) in Seychelles, with the Chinese company Sinohydro Corporation Limited as the contractor.

The latter has so far raised the dam of the water reservoir by 6 m with an artificial waterproofing system, which consists of a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) membrane-anchored in a trench dug in the existing core.