Irrigation & Drainage Engineering (CE ….

Vishnu Prasad Pandey, PhD

Professor – Civil Engineering (Water Resources)

Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
E: vishnu.pandey@pcampus.edu.np

Lecture#6_1: River Training Works (1)

6. River Training Works

6.1 River stages and need of river training

6.2 Types of river training works
6.3 Design of guide bunds and launching apron
6.4 Design of spurs (Layout, geometry, length, spacing & cross-section)

BE (Civil) | IOE/TU - Nepal | Irrigation & Drainage Engineering | L6_1 2

6.1 River Stages & Need for River Training

• River Morphology
– The structure & form of rivers, including
following, together represent River
Morphology.
▪ plan-forms,
▪ channel geometry (x-sectional of river),
▪ bed form, and
▪ profile characteristics (Longitudinal)
– The river morphology changes
considerably for natural causes
• River Training are the measures or works
– for restricting horizontal movement of the
river channel.

BE (Civil) | IOE/TU - Nepal | Irrigation & Drainage Engineering | L6_1 3

6.1 River Stages & Need for River Training

• River training, in a broad sense, covers all those engineering works

– which are constructed on a river
▪ To guide and confine the flow to the river channel, and
▪ To control and regulate the river bed configuration

• Following are the objectives/need of River Training works

– Stabilizing River Channel: To prevent river from changing its course and to provide
outflanking of structures like bridges, weirs, aqueducts, etc.
– Flood Protection: in the surrounding areas by providing safe passage of flood waters
– Guiding the Flow: To protect river banks by deflecting river away from the attacked banks
– Sediment Control: To ensure effective disposal of sediment load
– Navigation: To provide minimum water depth required for navigation

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6.1 River Stages & Need for River Training

• River training structures are constructed either across a river or along it.
• Types of river training works depends upon
– i) type of river, and ii) stages of river
• Classification/Types of Rivers – on various basis –
1) Based on variation of discharge in rivers
▪ Perennial | Non-perennial | Flashy | Virgin
2) Based on stability of river
▪ Stable river | Aggrading river | Degrading river
3) Based on location of reach of river
▪ Mountainous river | Flood plain rivers | Delta rivers | Tidal rivers
4) Based on the plan-form of river
▪ Straight river | Meandering river | Braided river

BE (Civil) | IOE/TU - Nepal | Irrigation & Drainage Engineering | L6_1 5

 6.1 River Stages & Need for River Training

• Classification of Rivers –
1) Based on the plan-form of river
▪ Straight river | Meandering river | Braided river
Meandering
River
Braided River

• Braided Rivers consist of a

network of river channels
separated by small, often
• Meandering River → A river may deviate from its axial path and temporary Islands, called as
a curvature may develop either due to its own characteristics or Braid Bars.
due to external forces → The process may move downwards
making bends → When such bends (successive bend of reverse – They tend to occur in rivers
order) are developed in a river reach, Meandering river forms. with high sediment loads

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6.1 River Stages & Need for River Training
• A river originates from mountain
& passes through many stages
before reaching to Sea.
– Rocky or incised stage (Zone 1]
– Boulder stage [Zone 2]
– Alluvial stage [Zone 3]
▪ Aggrading
▪ Degrading
▪ Stable
▪ Braided
▪ Meandering
– Deltaic stage [Zone 3]
– Tidal stage [Zone 3]

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6.1 River Stages & Need for River Training

• Rocky or Incised stage

– Flow channel is formed by the process of degradation
– Sediment transported is different from that of bed material
– Beds and banks are less susceptible to erosion
– River reaches are highly steep
• Boulder stage
– River consists of boulders, gravels and sand deposits
– River flows trough wide shallow beds and interlaced channels
– Boulders and gravels are transported by the stream during flood
– Those materials are deposited after flood recession forming heaps
– River further gets widened

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6.1 River Stages & Need for River Training

• Alluvial stage
– Bed materials & deposited materials are same
– Rivers in this stage are meandering
– Materials get eroded constantly from concave bank and gets deposited on the convex side
or between successive bends to form a bar
– Once river gets deviated from its axis, the unbalance goes on multiplying
– River in flood plains (or Alluvial stage) are further classified as
▪ Aggrading → Deposition in river bed
▪ Degrading → Erosion of river bed
▪ Stable → Neither silting nor scouring
▪ Braided → Formation of river channels separated by temporary islands
▪ Meandering → River’s deviation from its axial path and formation of curvature

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6.1 River Stages & Need for River Training

• Deltaic stage
– River, before joining sea, gets divided into branches forming triangular shaped delta
– The velocity of rivers approaching sea gets reduced
– Channel gets silted and water level rises forming new channel branches

• Tidal stage
– Tail reaches of river adjoining the sea are affected by the tides
– The sea and ocean water enters the river during flood tide and goes out during ebb (the
movement of the tide out to sea) tide
– The periodic rise and fall in water level takes place

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6.2 Types of River Training Works

• Depending upon purpose, river training work can be classified into 3 categories;
– High water training (or training for discharge):
▪ Prime purpose is flood control
▪ Aims at providing sufficient river x-section for the safe passage of maximum flood
▪ It is concerned with making the adjoining area flood-proof by construction of dykes or levees
– Low water training (or training for depth)
▪ Primary purpose is to provide sufficient water depth for navigable channel during low flow
▪ Focuses on concentrating and enhancing the flow in the desired channel by closing other channels by
contracting the width of the channel with the help of “GROYNES”; etc.
– Mean water training (or training for sediment)
▪ Aims at efficient disposal of suspended load and bed load → preserves channel in good shape
▪ It forms a basis to plan the former two river training works (i.e., high & low water training)
▪ Example: Check dams.

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6.2 Types of River Training Works

Various Types for River Training Works are –

• Marginal embankments or levees or dykes

• Guide banks (or Bell’s Bund)
• Groynes or Spurs
• Artificial cut-offs
• Pitched Islands
• Pitching of banks and provision of Launching Apron
• Miscellaneous methods (e.g. Sills and Bandalling)

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6.2 Types of River Training Works

Marginal embankments or levees or dykes

• Earthen embankments
running parallel to the
rivers at some suitable
distance
• Can be constructed on
either side or both sides
of river depending upon
topography
• Embankment walls retain
water & prevent it from
spreading into the
nearby areas

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6.2 Types of River Training Works

Marginal embankments or levees or dykes The Method for Flood

Control by Levees is old,
• Alignment should follow normal meandering pattern of river fairly simple & economical
• Floodplain is confined and hence silt deposition will be less method as it uses locally
• Levees, most of the times, are pitched on the u/s side (i.e., available material & labour
water side) for its construction

• Launching Apron may

also be provided if
bank is close to the
main river channel.
• Thickness of pitching is
generally 20-30 cm
and may be estimated
as T = 0.06*Q1/3.
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6.2 Types of River Training Works

Marginal embankments or levees or dykes: Potential Reasons for Failure

• Overtopping
• Erosion of riverside slope by river current
• Caving in of the banks
• Infiltration through the embankment
• Leaks as a result of holes dug by rats, crabs, and white ants or from rotten roots and
cracks due to shrinkage of soil
• Loosening of the embankment by wind action on large trees planted on it, and
• Human action

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6.2 Types of River Training Works

Guide Bank (or Bell’s Bund)

• Guide banks are the structures
provided in pairs symmetrical in plain
(see Figure) for –
– Restricting the waterway at the
structure & prevent the outflanking of
structure; &
– Reducing cost of construction of
structures in wide rivers in Alluvial
Plan by reducing river width.
• The Guide Banks are made bell-
mouthed for smooth transition
• The portion of river between normal
river bank and Guide Bank is closed
by ordinary embankment
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6.2 Types of River Training Works

Guide Bank (or Bell’s Bund)

• They are typically used along with

diversion headwork structure, as
shown in the Figure.
• They are constructed along the
flow direction both u/s and d/s of
the structure on one or both sides
of rivers, as desired

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6.2 Types of River Training Works |Spurs or Groynes

• Spurs are the embankment-type structures constructed

Transverse to the direction of river flow.
– They are also called as Transverse Dykes
• Major functions of Spurs are
– Deflection of water current
– Reduction of flow velocity
– Protection of river bank
– Silting and reformation of eroded bank
• Depending upon the function or action on the river,
Spurs are classified as;
– Normal spurs
– Repelling spurs; &
– Attracting spurs
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6.2 Types of River Training Works
• Normal Spur → Perpendicular to the direction of
flow
• Repelling Spur → Spur at obtuse angle to the
direction of flow; it points upstream; Scour holes
are formed away from the bank
• Attracting Spur → Spur at acute angle to the
direction of flow; Points downstream; Scour holes
are formed near the bank; Attracting spurs are
generally not preferred.

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6.2 Types of River Training Works |Spurs or Groynes

• Spurs guide the river flow; promote scour and deposition of the sediment where
desired; and trap the sediment load to build new river banks.
• Based on the method & material used for construction, Spurs are classified as;
– Impermeable Spurs
▪ Also called as solid spurs or embankment spurs
▪ They do not allow any significant flow through them
▪ They may be rock fill embankments or earthen embankment or armoured with stone pitching,
concrete blocks, etc.
– Permeable Spurs
▪ They do permit flow through them.
▪ They are more or less temporary structure and susceptible to damage by floating debris
▪ They simply obstruct the flow, reduce its velocity and cause silt deposition
▪ They are best suited to rivers carrying huge sediment load in suspension

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6.2 Types of River Training Works |Artificial Cut-offs
• Cut-offs shorten the length of the river, thus minimizes risk to a
larger areas of valuable land and properties covered by
meandering.
• Cut-offs may be developed by itself or artificially induced
• It helps in reducing flood heights, & navigation courses
• The ratio of length of the bend to that of chord is called Cut-
off Ratio. If that Ratio exceeds 1.5 to 2.5, a natural cut-off
takes place

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6.2 Types of River Training Works |Pitched Islands

• They are artificially or naturally created island in

the river bed
• It consists of sand-core, which is protected by stone
pitching on all sides of the island (if constructed
artificially)
• To protect it from scouring, a launching apron is
also provided.
• The location, size, and shape of pitched islands are
usually decided on the basis of model studies
• They work as a guide bank, redistributes the
discharge on its two sides, and reduces bank erosion
• Pitched islands upstream of barrages and weirs
have been found to be quite effective

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6.2 Types of RT Works |Pitching Banks & Provision of Launching Apron

• River banks are directly protected by

– stone pitching, or
– by concrete blocks or
– by brick lining, or
– by growing vegetable cover, etc. Launching Apron
• Stone pitching is generally adopted if the stones are available locally, however,
concrete blocks (they are very costly!) are also applied when required/possible
• River banks are provided with a stable slope varying from 1:1 to 2:1 depending upon
the material of bank; and then pitched, to make them strong enough to resist erosion.
• Launching Apron
– It is the projection of the pitching from the top of bank into the river to prevent the scour
at the toe and consequent fall of slope pitching.

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 6.2 Types of RT Works |Pitching Banks & Provision of Launching Apron

Some Glimpse of
Bank Protection
Measures

Triangular or other
shapes of concrete
blocks for Riprap.

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6.2 Types of River Training Works |Miscellaneous

• Sills → They are submerged dykes constructed to

reduce deep scouring in the vicinity of the hydraulic
structures
• Bandalling → It is the frame of bamboos driven into
the soil and kept at certain angle to flow direction to
decrease the channel width and increase the depth.

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