Iraq's Mosul Dam Could Burst At Any Time (blastingnews.com)

MarkWhittington writes: The Mosul Dam, located near the city of Mosul in Northern Iraq, was started by Saddam Hussein in 1981 as a way to bolster his regime and provide power to the surrounding area. It was completed in 1986 and has since generated 3,420 gigawatt/hours per year. Unfortunately, the dam was built on an unstable foundation of gypsum and thus needs constant repairs to plug leaks and maintain its structural integrity. Even more unfortunately, such repair efforts have stopped since the Islamic State seized control of Mosul. The dam could burst at any time, as a consequence. The flood could kill a million people and render a million more homeless. Radio Free Europe reports that Italy's Trevi Group has been contracted to repair and maintain the dam, but it seems like there's a lot to catch up with. (Also at The Guardian and Mother Jones.)

Comments

Re:I'll go to hell for this.

[AlterEager]

But think about all the children!

You mean the so-called "cubs of the caliphate", the ones who shoot bound and prostrate prisoners in the back of the head? Good riddance to the lot of them, the human race is better off without them.

In what way are you different from them?

Re: I'll go to hell for this.

[Anonymous Coward]

This is why the world hates Americans. This is why nobody will help you when you fully turn into an authoritarian shitfest of a country.

Such a waste.