Underground dam technology in some parts of the world

Increased human population, changing l ifestyles and land use have resulted in intensive exploitation of groundwater resources worldwide. To improve on the availability of groundwater, numerous techniques have been developed in many parts of the world. One of such techniques is the construction of underground dams. The widespread application of this technology, however, has been limited by lack of information on the design, construction and utilization of the dam. This paper therefore reviews underground dam technology in some parts of the world to meet this challenge. The investigations required for selecting suitable sites, the materials and construction methods used and the results of some research works are presented.