Further, the outlet and upstream riverbed should be cleaned regularly to make sure the dam does not get blocked. Silt, rocks, dead animals, etc. should be removed regularly. This can also help prevent contamination of the water. The quality of the water in the well should be checked, once in a while, by an expert.
Maintenance can normally be carried out by the users of the system or by a caretaker or watchman. Larger repairs may require skilled labour, which can usually be provided by local craftsmen. In some cases, unskilled labour may be required on a large scale (e.g. for repairing a broken raised-sand dam, or a leaking subsurface dam). The labour may be provided by the users (with or without pay), or by other people who are hired for the purpose.Users may need to establish a local committee to manage issues, such as controlling or supervising water use, preventing water contamination, carrying out O&M activities, financing O&M, and monitoring how much stored water is still available (a piezometer or auger hole may be installed to allow a caretaker or watchman to estimate how much water is left and decide if rationing has to be introduced). Proper management may also help to prevent social conflict. For O&M tasks at the dam site, a person who lives or farms near this site could be appointed. This person could also be responsible for water allocation and be involved in monitoring activities, if users obtain the water near to, or at, the site. His or her authority should be clear and accepted by all users. In order to insure success at all stages of construction, operations and maintenance, the local community needs to be trained as well to manage and maintain the dam. Promote catchment-level planning & management so that varying groups have a vested interest in the same source. They can start to address
improvements in soil/water conservation, food production & health. Previous dam committees have shown that they tend to stop functioning effectively after the construction phase. By taking longer to build the dam, e.g. 3 stages over 3 years, it may give enough time for a catchment-based dam association to form & start functioning.
For O&M tasks at the dam site, a person who lives or farms near this site could be appointed. This person could also be responsible for water allocation and be involved in monitoring activities, if users obtain the water near to, or at, the site. His or her authority should be clear and accepted by all users.
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