Thursday, March 28, 2024

Baghdad

Minister says Mosul Dam repairs normal as experts warn of doomsday collapse

 Minister says Mosul Dam repairs normal as experts warn of doomsday collapse

Mosul Dam. Archival photo.

Mosul Dam. Archival photo.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.-com) Iraq’s water resources minister has said that maintenance works at the Mosul Dam continue normally as experts warn of a catastrophic collapse that endangers the lives of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.

Hassan al-Janabi said in statements on Sunday that operations and maintenance works continue to run “normally and around the clock”, stressing that “there had been no different indications from last year”.

Several local and U.S. experts had warned of a disastrous collapse of the dam, which is known to contain constructional flaws since its establishment in the 1980s.

Built on unstable ground, earth underneath the dam has been eroding by water over time, and maintenance workers have used to reinforce its foundations with cement in order to offset the flaw. Experts warn an imminent collapse of the dam could affect one million Iraqis.

In February 2016, Iraq signed with Italian TREVI Group a 273 million-euro, 18-month contract for the dam’s maintenance with Italian company

In a recent interview with CNN, journalist Dexter Flikins warned that the imminent collapse of the dam would submerge Mosul, within one hour, under 80 feet of water, with the damage expanding over 100 miles. He said between one and 1.5 million people in the city would die in the disaster.

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