This is one I’ve been following for a while now, but have been tardy in getting the news posted.Same scenario as Mosul Dam- the flooding of “biblical” proportions would cleanse the area of an Arab population the Kurds/US/Israel have no tolerance, no love, for. All the while ensuring rich rebuilding contracts.Any damage that may have occurred presently is most probably from coalition (US) airstrikes- The localized flooding may be due to US proxies “ISIS” terrorizing the locals which works out very well for the YPG/PKK. Rising water levels will definitely come from the winter thaw and spring rainsRudaw
The Tabqa Dam, already damaged by war, is now at risk of flooding due to rising water levels in the Euphrates River, the UN warned on Wednesday. (Yesterday)Heavy rain and snowfall combined with ISIS opening three turbines of the dam have resulted in water levels in the Euphrates River rising by about 10 metres in the last three weeks, according to a UN report seen by Reuters.
Agricultural lands in eastern Deir e-Zor province flood. Photo courtesy of Omar Abu Laila, Deir Ezzor 24The UN is claiming ISIS opened turbines... Perhaps? How much from snow thaw and rain to opened turbines? I don't know.
“As per local experts, any further rise of the water level would submerge huge swathes of agricultural land along the river and could potentially damage the Tabqa Dam, which would have catastrophic humanitarian implications in all areas downstream,” the report read. Tabqa Dam has already been damaged by ISIS militants who have deliberately destroyed infrastructure, and in coalition airstrikes carried out in support of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) battling ISIS on the ground in northern Syria. Earth-filled Tabqa Dam, the largest in Syria, has been under control of ISIS since 2013. The extremist group has used it as a headquarters, prison, and training centre.
The SDF are within a few kilometres of the dam
The station has been headed towards disaster over these past years of neglect, complete loss of replacement parts, and the exodus of technical experience. (Thanks to the US backed destabilization) The risk of fighting around the station when the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) makes the danger imminent.The Euphrates Dam power station protects the dam from collapsing by controlling the water flow from the reservoir and through the turbine generators and the eight spillway gates on the station’s roof. The portion of the Euphrates flowing from Turkey is 700 cubic meters per second. Since ISIS took control of the dams, this amount reached unprecedented lows. The Euphrates Dam reservoir is about 90 km (60 miles) long, stretching from the city of Tabqa to the Tishrin Dam on the outskirts of Manbij, and an average of 8 km wide. The dam itself is 4 km long and 60 m (197 ft) high, with a width of 512 m (1680 ft) at the base and 20 m (66 ft) on the surface, and is composed of sand and gravel rubble. The dam holds 14.1 billion cubic meters of drinking water as well as a huge wealth of fish, and its reservoir provides irrigation for vast areas of agricultural projects on its banks.
There is currently heavy fighting ongoing between the SDF and the Islamic State in the area around the dam. Coalition airstrikes are targeting the Islamic state in the city of Tabqa, near the power station. Tremors from explosions reach the station’s foundations, and are affecting the dam and weakening its integrity.
If the dam or power station is directly targeted, whether intentionally or accidentally, the structure could quickly collapse.
It will be coalition airstrikes that will bring this dam down. Same as it will be in Mosul. Same as it was coalition airstrikes that took out all of the Mosul bridges in Iraq. Same as it was coalition airstrikes that destroyed two bridges that crossed the Euphrates- That’s right coalition airstrikes. Link
Deir e-Zor residents and merchants have relied on river barges since late September 2016, when the US-led coalition struck and destroyed two main bridges connecting the western and eastern bank of the Euphrates River, Syria Direct reported at the time.
That’s right it was NOT the Syrian government that blew the bridges. It was not Russia or Turkey that blew up the bridges- It was the US led coalition- which is mostly the US- So familiar!
ISIS’ decision to partially open three of the dam’s spillway gates, cause the water level behind the dam to rise, and flood huge areas of agricultural land, is a military strategy to create a natural barrier that would prevent attacking forces from advancing and surrounding the city. The only option the Syrian Democratic Forces are left with is crossing over the dam itself, which is only 20 meters wide, completely exposed, and secured by weaponry. If the dam becomes a battlefield, this could pose an even greater problem, since any aerial assault would damage it, and could even damage the retaining wall on the side of the reservoir, which would allow water to erode the sandy rubble. This process would accelerate rapidly, creating caves behind the dam’s structural reinforcement on the reservoir side, making it unable to hold back the weight and pressure of the water. If this happens, the collapse of the dam would be inevitable.It would be preferable for SDF forces to attack the city from the west, since their chance of entering it would be less dangerous to the bridge. They appear to have no choice, however, since the battlefront on the west is too wide.If the bridge collapses in less than ten minutes, it would unleash a rush of water to the Baath Dam, which is 25 km away. The flood of water would join the 90 million cubic meters of water in the Baath Dam’s reservoir, and create a disaster headed for Raqqa at speeds that could reach 120 km / hour. At this rate, the water would reach Raqqa in less than half an hour, drowning the city. In two hours, it would reach Deir Ezzor, and from there al-Bukamal in Iraq.The collapse of the dam would not only eliminate all forms of life in the area and change the natural landscape, but would also affect oil wells in Deir Ezzor. Water could mix with crude oil, creating an additional natural disaster. If the Euphrates Dam collapses, it would also affect the areas upstream of the dam, causing droughts and reducing the agricultural output.
Was thinking about how the actions of the US have detrimentally affected two dams, Mosul and Tabqua/Euphrates, in two nations Iraq and Syria- While negligence at home, thanks to war making abroad, has resulted in trouble at a dam in California- All because politicians and coopted scientists preached permanent drought for California- fools! While the upper tier politicians reshaped entire regions of the world instead of taking care of their home turf- PatheticOroville Dam:
A year ago, politicians and experts were predicting a near-permanent statewide drought, a “new normal” desert climate. (thanks to Fake Climate Science) The most vivid example of how wrong they were is that California’s majestic Oroville Dam is currently in danger of spillway failure in a season of record snow and rainfall. That could spell catastrophe for thousands who live below it and for the state of California at large that depends on its stored water.The poor condition of the dam is almost too good a metaphor for the condition of the state as a whole; its possible failure is a reflection of California’s civic decline.
The poor condition of the dam is too good of a metaphor for many things-