  We study the transverse clustering properties of high matter density peaks as
traced by high column density absorption systems (either Lyman limit systems
characterized by N(HI)> 2 x 10^{17} cm^{-2} or CIV systems with W_{r}> 0.5 A)
at redshifts between 2 and 3 with UVES spectra of two QSO pairs (UM680/UM681 at
56 arcsec angular separation and Q2344+1228/Q2343+1232 at 5 arcmin angular
separation) and a QSO triplet (Q2139-4433/Q2139-4434/Q2138-4427 at 1, 7 and 8
arcmin angular separation). We find 3 damped Ly-alpha systems (N(HI)> 2 x
10^{20} cm^{-2}): 2 coinciding with strong metal systems in the nearby line of
sight and 1 matching the emission redshift of the paired QSO; plus 7 Lyman
limit systems: 4 forming two matching couples and 3 without a corresponding
metal system within ~3000 km/s in the coupled line of sight. In summary, we
detect five out of ten matching systems within 1000 km/s, indicating a highly
significant overdensity of strong absorption systems over separation lengths
from ~1 to 8 h^{-1} Mpc. The observed coincidences could arise in gas due to
starburst-driven superwinds associated with a quasar or a galaxy, or gas
belonging to large scale structures like filaments or sheets. We also determine
chemical abundance ratios for three damped Ly-alpha systems. In particular, for
the damped system at z ~ 2.53788 in the spectrum of Q2344+1228, new estimates
of the ratios O/Fe, C/Fe are obtained: [C/Fe]<0.06, [O/Fe]<0.2. They indicate
that O and C are not over-solar in this system.
