Iraq’s Mosul Dam was completed in 1986 with a large number of structural flaws. The dam lacks robustness and has been classified by the US Army Corps of Engineers as the world’s most dangerous dam. The dam was created on a weak foundation of gypsum, anhydrite and limestone, all of which are water-soluble. Since its creation, Iraq has been continually grouting the dam to ensure that it does not collapse. The presence of Islamic State (IS) around the dam in recent years, however, has diverted resources away from grouting. The absence of recent maintenance and a surge in spring waters from winter snow melt means that the dam is now at risk of a catastrophic breach. Flooding caused by a breach has the potential to create mayhem for millions of people who live in its flood path in the Tigris River valley.
http://www.futuredirections.org.au/publication/iraq-mosul-dam-breach-a-disaster-in-waiting/
I-BRIDGE's blog (Link Campus University's Research Centre on Global Affairs) - editor, Marco Emanuele - Critical thinking, complexity, international relations (Twitter, @Glob_Eye - Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/marco.emanuele.50)
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