ABSTRACT
In the UK, the name 'dam' is given to a civil engineering structure built across a valley to form an artificial lake as a reservoir of water. There are numerous variants. Some reservoirs are formed on relatively flat land by building long dams to encircle the required areas. Others are built to store materials other than water. In South Africa and some other countries the word 'dam' is used for the reservoir which is retained by a 'wall' or 'dam wall'.
