It was built in the early 1980s, one of many grand infrastructure projects rolled out by saddam and his baath party. Army corps of engineers teammates, contractors and others to prevent a dam failure with the potential for catastrophic consequences on a massive scale. The dam is located 60 km north west of mosul city and 80 km from syrian and turkish borders. Impact of flood by a possible failure of the mosul dam. According to the us army corps of engineers the dam should have had an inverted pyramid foundation in order to control the seepage of water and the effects of. Army corps of engineers is a world leader in dam construction, operation, maintenance and repair. Baghdad iraqs mosul dam has long been branded the worlds most dangerous dam, at risk of collapsing and sending water crashing over millions of people. Browse the independents complete collection of articles and commentary on mosul dam. Monitoring of mosul dam through sar data giulia tessari phd, marie sklowdowska curie fellow sarmap sa, cascine di barico, 6989, purasca, switzerland giulia. Mosul dam is an earth fill dam located on the tigris river in north western part of iraq.
One problem, the dam was built on water soluble gypsum. Mar 02, 2016 mosul dam engineers warn it could fail at any time, killing 1m people. Mosul dam engineers warn it could fail at any time, killing 1. Army wraps up mosul dam mission, the construction project that. Not for nothing did us army engineers call mosul the most dangerous dam in the world. It is located on the tigris river in the western governorate of nineveh, upstream of the city of mosul. Concerns about the dams stability and safety began already during construction. This is what could happen if the islamic state destroys the. The project to stabilize mosul dam involved planning and executing an.
Apr 08, 2016 iraqs mosul dam is said to be at risk of catastrophic failure. Water management issues in the middle east will continue to be a source of tension in a region that suffers no lack of causes for conflicts. Impact of flood by a possible failure of the mosul dam eu science. The us army corp of engineers declared the mosul dam the most dangerous dam in the. Army wraps up mosul dam mission, the construction project. If the dam were to fail, the city of mosul would be under 65 feet of water and baghdad would see up to 15 feet. Extreme neglect has left iraqs mosul dam on the brink of failure, which could kill at least 1 million people, the u. Task force commander recalls assisting iraqi troops in drive. Army corps of engineers concludes that the dam is judged to have an unacceptable annual failure probability. Iraq says isis no longer in control of mosul dam cbs news.
May 06, 2017 may 20, 2020 army, air officers bring different backgrounds to task force may 19, 2020 army public health center releases 5th edition of health of the force may 18, 2020 garrison task force leads. Mosul dam risks devastating failure as iraq government keeps. Iraqs mosul dam is said to be at risk of catastrophic failure. The army corps of engineers estimates that if the dam ruptures, it will send floodwaters crashing more than 200 miles downstream swallowing villages and much of mosul city with waves as high. Mar 05, 2016 iraqs mosul dam in critical need of repair engineers warn that the mosul dam in iraq could collapse at any time, threatening 1. May 16, 2017 the mosul dam is the second largest dam in the middle east. Turning the impending mosul dam disaster into opportunity.
Two leading analysts of the mosul dam s problems, nasrat adamo and nadhir alansari both many times cited in this blog, have published an article of great importance, mosul dam full story. Army corps of engineers unit providing the government of iraq with engineering expertise for its grouting. The mosul dam has been called the most dangerous dam in the world. The current problems posed by the mosul dam may be an opportunity to show how a collaborative regionwide solution can become a first step on the road to new ways of imaginative thinking in the region. Mosul dam engineers warn it could fail at any time, killing. March 17, 2017 five engineers from the ministry of water resources at the mosul dam project in iraq and one engineer from trevi s.
Then saddam sent his army into kuwait, sparking the gulf war, and he. Philip secrist iii now commands the mosul dam task force, a u. To a member of congress or staff acting upon the members behalf when the member or staff requests the information on behalf of, and at the request of, the individual who is the subject of the record. The mosul dam on the tigris river, in iraqi kurdistan, is the basin enabling a relevant part of iraqs power grid to work. Safety evaluations of mosul dam, in the journal of earth sciences and geotechnical engineering, 6 2016. The mosul dam is iraqs largest dam and with its shoddy construction could, if destabilized, affect the lives of iraqis as far south as baghdad. Simulation tigris river flood wave in mosul city due to a hypothetical mosul dam break thair m. Nov 07, 2007 just after occupying iraq in april 2003, a report found that mosul dams foundation was leaking like a sieve and ready to collapse. Army corps of engineers usace once called the most dangerous dam in the world. Mosul, iraq when a heavy downpour the morning of june 15, 2019, dumped even more water into the 32 billion gallons already in the reservoir of iraqs mosul dam, it didnt faze the u. Mosul dam in northern iraq may pose more of a threat than isis. Translation, the dam is built on a shifting, poor foundation. While iraqi forces fight to take back the city of mosul just 30 miles away, braun labors with fellow u. It is located approximately 35 miles north of ancient nineveh or modern day mosul, iraq.
Mosul dam is located on the tigris river in north western part of iraq. The mosul dam project was a 3year partnership started in 2016 as a joint venture among the iraq ministry of water resources, the u. Construction of the dam, which provides irrigation and hydroelectric power, was. Mosul dam latest breaking news, pictures, videos, and special reports from the economic times. Qassim almoussawi said earlier that the dam itself was secured by kurdish peshmerga troops and iraqi security forces on monday but that the southern side of the complex. Ah64a armamentelectricalavionics systems repairer ah64a. Chronicles and records of mosuls rich pastwhich dates to antiquity. May 23, 2017 members of italian army s elite bersaglieri force. Army corps of engineers as the most dangerous dam in the world. A 2006 report by the us army corp of engineers stated, in terms of internal erosion potential of the foundation, mosul dam is the most dangerous dam in the world. The mosul dam, classified by the us army corps of engineers as the most dangerous dam in the world, was first constructed in the 1980s and has been pumped full of thousands of tons of grout six days a week since to prevent the possibility of a breach. Ministry of water resources previously ministry of irrigation till the us army corps of. Army corps of engineers began several assessments of the mosul dam. The mosul dam sits on the tigris river just north of the city of mosul.
He originally named the dam after himself, the saddam dam. Army corps of engineers data management reach back team. It is located along the river tigris, 35 km north from the city of mosul. Mosul italy has sent 500 more special forces troopers to mosul to protect an italianconstructed dam retaken from islamic state. However, the group has so far failed in its attempts to capture the haditha dam, iraqs second largest, from the army. A 2006 us army corps of engineers report obtained by the washington post said the dam, which blocks the tigris, could wipe out whole cities, and was considered to be the most dangerous dam in the world. And again the article points out that the builders understood perfectly well this was going to happen but when a murderous dictator tells you he wants a dam, you build him a dam. Mosul dam task force celebrates mission completion. The dam holds an estimated 1112 billion cubic meters of water.
Electronic warfaresignal intelligence nonmorse interceptor. Inside mosul dam, iraqs biggest potential weapon of mass. Mosul would be wiped out, while baghdad 400km 250 miles away would be covered in four meters of water in a matter of days. Iraqs mosul dam could face catastrophic collapse, top us. Jan 11, 2016 mosul dam, which was completed in 1984 by a german and italian consortium and is 30 miles upstream from the city of mosul, has long been a maintenance nightmare. Isis controlled the dam for a while until the kurds and the iraqi military took it back. Jan 29, 2016 the top us general in iraq says the us military is working on a contingency plan to deal with the potential collapse of mosul dam in northern iraq which could kill hundreds of thousands of people. Facilitiescontract construction management engineer fccme air defense command, control, communications, computers maintainer. Geological and engineering investigations of the most dangerous. May 30, 2017 mosul dam risks devastating failure as iraq government keeps stalling. The dam was the brainchild of saddam hussein back in 1981. Huntsville centers braun works to save mosul dam u. It is located on the tigris river in the western governorate.
But while the work has stabilized the dam, construction flaws that. Army corps of engineers unit providing the government. The mosul dam opecs unavoidable supply cut seeking alpha. A catastrophe of epic proportions the boston globe. Mar 02, 2016 a september 2006 report by the united states army corps of engineers noted, in terms of internal erosion potential of the foundation, mosul dam is the most dangerous dam in the world. To appropriate agencies, entities, and persons when 1 the dod suspects or has confirmed that there has been a breach of the system of. Nov 08, 2016 the mosul dam was built by saddam hussein in 1986 on soluble gypsum.
The dam serves to generate hydroelectricity and provide water for downstream irrigation. Huntsville centers chad braun poses in front of iraqs mosul dam in this undated photo. Center for army lessons learned 141st military history detachment washington army national guard army capabilities integration center training and doctrine command, g2 the u. Mar 14, 2016 the mosul dam opecs unavoidable supply cut. According to samantha power, the us ambassador to the united nations, a breach could send a 45foot high. Jun 12, 2017 the only sign of what it had been was an occasional scrap of paper from a book, its edges burned brown, on the ground. Italy sends 500 special troops to iraq for mosul dam sentry. Needed repairs on the poorly built structure haven. It is also a potential goal to reconquer for isis, which is just a few dozens of kilometres away. Marine corps british army the royal air force 1724 u mosul study group. Army corps of engineers, and italian company trevi s. But as the article pointed out, theres nothing wrong with the dam or the power generation, its the ground under the dam that requires constant maintenance. Mosul dam faces a serious and unprecedented risk of catastrophic failure. Over the years, hes written 17 research papers and a 400page book about the dam and its flaws.
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