Evaluating Sediment-Induced Storage Loss in Centralized and Decentralized Dam Systems: A Case Study of Bekhma and Its Alternative

Volume 12 ,Issue 3 ,August 2026 ,Pages 135-152

Authors

Arkan Hamza Ibrahim 1 ; Abdulla Abdulwahid Abo 2

1 Civil Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Salahaddin, Erbil, KR, Iraq.

2 Water Resources Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Salahaddin, Erbil, KR, Iraq

DOI logo 10.17656/sjes.10221

Keywords

Abstract

This research studies the sediment transport developments and their impact on reservoir sustainability in the Greater Zab Basin in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, focusing on the proposed Bekhma dam and upstream alternatives of it. This study uses Digital Elevation Model (DEM) analysis, spatial modeling along with geographic information systems (GIS) and empirical sediment transport modeling by means of the Shields principle and the Ackers-White equation to assess the sediment transport dynamics under varying scheme designs. Alternative scenarios comprise a single, centralized reservoir (baseline) and a distributed arrangement with multiple upstream reservoirs. The results reveal that, under normal conditions, sediment transport is highly concentrated towards Proposed Bekhma reservoir, resulting in a centralized pattern of sediment storage and a greater risk of rapid storage loss. However, the existence of upstream reservoirs modifies sediment transport pattern (the alternative), can create multiple interception points in upstream pattern (the alternative), can create the flux of sediments to the single reservoir of proposed  Bekhma dam. The results show that distributed reservoir systems can significantly improve sediment management by disrupting basin-scale sediment transport and helping system permanency. This transition from transport to capture offers a promising perception for the sustainable design of reservoirs in sediment-laden basins. This study stresses the necessity to consider sediment transport in strategic planning of dam construction and offers a template for associating different reservoir configurations in other river basins.

 

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