Working in collaboration with Landell Mills and local partners from Myanmar’s Irrigation and Water Utilization Management Department, we delivered three dam safety studies. We also explored multi-criteria optimisation of dam operation to reduce flood hazard while supporting economic development through irrigated agriculture and electricity generation.
Myanmar has experienced rapid development in recent years, including a significant programme of dam construction to support irrigation and hydropower. At the same time, exceptional flood events have caused severe damage to spillways at several dams and contributed to widespread downstream flooding. These events highlighted the need for improved understanding of dam safety and the potential consequences of dam break flooding, alongside more sustainable approaches to managing flood risk.
There was also an opportunity to explore how existing dams could be operated more effectively to reduce flood hazard while continuing to support economic development through irrigated agriculture and electricity generation.
Working in collaboration with Landell Mills and local partners from Myanmar’s Irrigation and Water Utilization Management Department, JBA carried out three dam safety studies.
At the outset of the project, there were no established national procedures for rainfall frequency analysis or rainfall runoff modelling. We developed new, context appropriate approaches tailored to data availability and local needs.
Alongside the technical analysis, the project placed a strong emphasis on knowledge sharing and training, supporting government staff to apply these methods themselves and to build confidence in their use.
The work was later extended to explore multi-criteria optimisation of dam operation, applying a water, energy and food security nexus approach. This allowed different operational objectives to be assessed together, highlighting opportunities to reduce flood hazard while maintaining or improving benefits for irrigation and hydropower.
The dam safety studies established a practical template that could be applied more widely across Myanmar, using freely available modelling software. This provided a basis for more consistent assessment of dam safety and flood hazard, supporting better targeting of investment in spillway upgrades and other risk reduction measures.
The dam operation optimisation work also demonstrated how development objectives can be supported through more efficient use of existing infrastructure. By improving how dams are operated, flood risk can be reduced while continuing to deliver economic and social benefits, offering a low-cost and sustainable approach to resilience building.
This project was delivered during 2019/2020.
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