A watery time-bomb | The Economist
The Mosul dam
A watery time-bomb
The most dangerous dam in the world
Feb 13th 2016 | BAGHDAD | From the print edition
Timekeeper
It seemed a good idea at the time
“FIRE or flood” goes an old saying about the turbulent history of Iraq; and just now flood is the one to fear. American officials are ringing alarm bells over a potentially catastrophic collapse of the country’s biggest dam, 50km (30 miles) upstream from Mosul, Iraq’s second city, currently held by Islamic State (IS)
“What we do know is this—if this dam were in the United States, we would have drained the lake behind it,” said Lieutenant-General Sean MacFarland, who commands American forces in Iraq, to reporters last month in Baghdad. Sensors installed by American army engineers in December show widening fissures in the fragile gypsum base underneath the dam, though no one can predict when a breach might occur. ...
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