WASHINGTON — More than 16 months after Iraqi and Kurdish forces reclaimed Mosul Dam from Islamic State fighters, the structure faces a new threat: the danger that it may collapse because of insufficient maintenance, overwhelming major communities downstream with floodwaters.
In the worst-case scenario, according to State Department officials, an estimated 500,000 people could be killed while more than a million could be rendered homeless if the dam, Iraq’s largest, were to collapse in the spring, when the Tigris is swollen by rain and melting snow. The casualty toll and damage would be much less if Iraqi citizens received adequate warning, if the dam collapsed only partially or if it were breached in the summer or fall, when the water level is lower.
. . .
At the heart of the problem is a major engineering challenge: reinforcing a massive dam built during the Saddam Hussein era on a weak foundation of gypsum, chalky limestone and clay.
While I surely don't wish to see that many innocent folks die for something that stupid, I also don't trust our media or our current administration to tell us the truth.
I suspect this is just another way to justify more money being sent to a potential if not a confirmed enemy by Obama. He is not on the American people's side. His actions have proven that his lips are lying.
------------------ Ron
Isn't it strange that after a bombing, everyone blames the bomber, his upbringing, his environment, his culture, his mental state but … after a shooting, the problem is the gun?
My Uncle Frank was a staunch Conservative and voted straight Republican until the day he died in Chicago. Since then he has voted Democrat. Shrug
I'd be willing to watch the pay per view of it collapsing.
Brad
I wonder if they could televise an American Idol type text/internet vote as to whether to push a button to lunch the Cruise Missile to speed it along or not? I wonder how the vote would turn out if they actually did...
I wonder if they could televise an American Idol type text/internet vote as to whether to push a button to lunch the Cruise Missile to speed it along or not? I wonder how the vote would turn out if they actually did...
.99 per text vote. They could probably just give everyone in the US Obamacare with the proceeds.
Why Are Some Dams Being Removed? There has been a growing movement to remove dams where the costs – including environmental, safety, and socio-cultural impacts – outweigh the benefits – including hydropower, flood control, irrigation, or recreation – or where the dam no longer serves any useful purpose. The goal of removal can be multi-faceted, including restoring flows for fish and wildlife, reinstating the natural sediment and nutrient flow, eliminating safety risks, restoring opportunities for recreation, and saving taxpayer money.
May save taxpayer money but here electricity users are paying the tab for dam removal.
Now where do I wack the damn thing to set it off ?
