ABSTRACT
This paper focuses on the application of Bituminous Geomembrane (BGM) for the waterproofing of new and existing earthen canals. The start of its application is about half-century back when USBR first time applied BGM in canal waterproofing and the first time BGM was used in waterproofing of a large dam by Coletanche in 1978 in France. In India, the first application of BGM has been done in one kilometer stretch of Pench Canal in Nagpur, Maharashtra which was given as a pilot project to Yooil Infra to arrest the seepage and enhance the stability of the canal. The area comprises expansive soil which has been problematic for canal banks stability, concrete lining failures, heavy seepage through banks and breaching of banks at different reaches of canal. The BGM application resulted in a complete stoppage of seepage through that section of the canal and no stability related problem was observed due to the elimination of drawdown conditions while and after the full flow of canal during monsoon. BGM is unique due to its properties of being flexible, high puncture resistance, practically impermeable, resistant to thermal expansion, UV resistant, non-biodegradable, low maintenance cost and overall exceptional durability. This paper gives the technical assessment of slopes of the canal with the existing concrete lining, outlining possible reasons for the failure of concrete lining and remedy with the impervious bituminous geomembrane.
