Probalistic Assessment for the Safety of the Afobaka Dam, Suriname
The Afobaka dam, located in Paramaribo, is a large structure built in 1965 to generate electricity. Till now the ownership of the dam has been in possession of ALCOA, a large aluminium producer from the United States. However, the ownership will be transferred to the government of Suriname. Unfortunately, the government of Suriname is concerned that they don’t have the knowledge to manage and maintain the dam, which is worrying, since the dam provides 50% of the electricity in Suriname.
Maarten visited the dam twice to gather information and data to first make a reservoir balance assessment to predict reliable values for (the change in) reservoir levels of the Brokopondo reservoir. He then used these results together with other parameters, like current structural conditions of the dam, to create a probalistic safety model for the future maintenance of the dam. With the model future scenarios are set, which can be of advice for the government and the parties that manage the dam.
The results of the study should be the start of an even more thorough investigation about what should be done with the dam in the future. This is important for the people that manage the dam, but even more for the people who are dependent on the electricity provided by the dam.
