Iraq: Mosul Dam in danger of structural failure and collapse

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US Army Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland said Iraqi authorities understood "the potential" for the collapse of the hydroelectric dam, whose foundation requires constant grouting to maintain structural integrity.

He said the military was working with the government on a plan to protect Iraqi civilians from the impact of a collapse, which would send a surge of water down the heavily populated Tigris river valley.

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"If this dam was in the United States, we would have drained the lake behind it. We would have taken that dam out of commission," he added.

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While Islamic State militants are no longer a clear threat to the dam, coalition spokesman US Army Colonel Steve Warren said they had stolen equipment and chased away technicians.

"There was a steady grouting schedule that had been maintained for a long time. When that stopped, obviously the deterioration of the dam increased accordingly," he said.

An Italian company, the Trevi Group, is finalising a contract with Baghdad to upgrade the 3.6-kilometre-long dam, which has suffered from structural flaws since it was built in the 1980s.

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