Catastrophic Dam Collapse Feared In Iraq
U.S. Army Warns Tigris River Dam A Serious Threat To Baghdad And Mosul
-
Play CBS Video
Video
Dam In Danger
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working to prevent the collapse of Iraq's largest dam. If they fail, the result could be a catastrophe of biblical proportions. Allen Pizzey reports.
-
Photo
An Army Corps of Engineers report warns that if this dam north of Mosul, Iraq, collapses, Baghdad could be under 15 feet of water. (CBS)
-
Photo Essay
Week In Iraq Photos
A daily diary with scenes of the latest attacks and snapshots from the effort to rebuild a nation.
-
Interactive
Battle For Iraq
The government, the insurgency, key players, background and photos.
The dam is on the Tigris River, 45 miles north of the city of Mosul.
A catastrophic failure, engineers believe, could unleash a 60-foot-high wall of water that would be inundate Mosul - and flood Baghdad to a depth of 15 feet.
The casualty count would be in the hundreds of thousands.
The United States has supplied $27 million worth of equipment to upgrade this aging machinery used for reinforcing, which has been a problem since the dam was built in 1984.
Nevertheless, a report to be released today says that because of potential erosion, the Mosul Dam is “the most dangerous dam in the world.”
The problem is that it was built on a type of rock that dissolves when it comes into contact with water.
In a telephone interview, the Iraqi minister of water resources admitted there were, in his words "some problems," but added that his ministry was "planning to design a permanent solution."
In spite of the Iraqi government's professed confidence, Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus sent a letter to the Iraqi prime minister in May stating that the damn presented “unacceptable risks.”
Given that a break could trigger a flood of Biblical proportion, that may go down as a classic example of diplomatic understatement.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Video and Galleries from CBS Evening News
- Latest in CBS Evening News
- Sotomayor's Big Day Nears
- U.S. Drones Have al Qaeda On the Run
- The Story Behind the Skating Babies



Iraq is a never-ending disaster that will drain America of money and blood until we''re left bankrupt and defeated. It''s the single biggest mistake in U.S. history. Thanks Bu$h. Thanks Republicons.
If the Bush regime manages to kill another half-million Iraqis with a dam collapse, he will only have another 20 million, or so, more Iraqis to murder before the country is fully "liberated".
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we..."- GWB
Kind of makes you wonder where the chief engineer''s degree was obtaind or whether a geologist was even consulted before construction, eh?
Posted by george2221 at 09:07 PM : Oct 30, 2007
True wisdom. Thanks for sharing that with us all.
Oh EXCELLENT! provide the information so that the terrorists can plan an attack on this next!
Maybe it would be a good thing this dam does collapse, Imagine the trouble it would cause BUSH and his regime in the occupation when all hel1 breaks loose.
One dam thing after another.
Posted by okie1963 at 09:22 PM : Oct 30, 2007
Blaming America and blaming an administration are tow very different things.
Neocons love to try to convert criticism of the administration into criticism of Amerca, trying to falsely claim patriotic high ground.
It doesn''t work except on FNC viewers.
"In spite of the Iraqi government"s professed confidence, Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petraeus sent a letter to the Iraqi prime minister in May stating that the d*amn presented "unacceptable risks."
I"m sure the letter said "dam," not "d*amn"
Posted by okie1963 at 09:20 PM : Oct 30, 2007
If you want the job done effectively, you open the job for competitive bidding, while checking the applying companies references and prior jobs. Throwing billions of dollars at one company, with no oversight, and hundreds of millions of dollars in cost over runs is not only incompetent and ignorant, but it should be illegal too.
And I would rather throw my tax money into the Grand Canyon rather than spend one dollar on a foreign, oil rich country.
do you really find your comment to be so profound that it merits 8 or 10 repostings?
I certainly do not.
Some over there would see it as Allah"s judgment, I''m sure.
"...In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea..."
tpical neocon logic. Say it enough times and it becomes true ......bunch a brain dead losers.
Posted by ainttaken at 09:39 PM : Oct 30, 2007
Of course, that''s their intent. What amazes me is that they think it works on those who don''t watch FNC.
Just amazing how some folks spam the same message over and over again, just begging to be kicked off the forum.
Don''t fret okie, Halliburton will get the no-bid contract to rebuild the dam. And that $27 million figure will become $200 million in un-audited overruns before it''s all said and done.
It"s obnoxious stuff like that, put Robert Goulet in an early grave.
Posted by Iceman_1960 at 09:44 PM : Oct 30, 2007
Not much to worry about in that vein, Ice.
Radio and I have both reported theferrier for his non-stop Ron Paul spam to no avail.....
tpical neocon logic. Say it enough times and it becomes true ......bunch a brain dead losers.
Posted by ainttaken at 09:39 PM : Oct 30, 2007
Of course, that''''s their intent. What amazes me is that they think it works on those who don''''t watch FNC.
Posted by formrusmcsgt at 09:43 PM : Oct 30, 2007
Too much O''Reilly in that boys diet. It''s like when old Bill asks a guest a question and then shouts them down, because he doesn''t want to hear the answer. That''s all that okie is doing - it''s the same as a little kid that puts his fingers in his ears and says, "NAH, NAH, NAH - I CAN''T HEAR YOU!!"
Nothing but childish.
Posted by hungry1968 at 09:48 PM : Oct 30, 2007
And still there are a sufficient number of morons watching that drivel that he stays on the air. Scary, isn''t it?
Just what they need over there.
A dam collapse flooding a d*amn quagmire.
"Bring the troops home within a year" - the demand of 64% of the American people, a bigger percentage than preferred Ronald Reagan over Walter Mondale.
Source: Rasmussen
"Tuesday, October 16, 2007
For the second straight week, a Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 64% of Americans would like to see U.S. troops brought home from Iraq within a year. Prior to this week"s results, support for bringing the troops home had increased in three consecutive weeks.
Twenty-eight percent (28%) want the troops brought home immediately. That"s unchanged from a week ago but up from 20% five weeks ago."
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/the_war_in_iraq/iraq_troop_withdrawal
Posted by formrusmcsgt at 09:52 PM : Oct 30, 2007
I''m an Olberman guy myself. I Would rather watch an info-mercial instead of O''Reilly, but I do have to admit that his garbage is so outrageous at times, that it is pretty funny. Funny in a scary way, but funny none the less.
Just for kicks:
http://www.noob.us/miscellaneous/fox-news-exposed-by-employees/
Posted by hungry1968 at 09:55 PM : Oct 30, 2007
I find all FNC programming to be hilarious, although they obviously would wish that it be taken seriously.
- Posted by formrusmcsgt at 09:47 PM : Oct 30, 2007
A lot of good that will do, since "thefarrier" is the screenname of Katie Couric.
(My confidential CBS sources told me that)
Just kidding.
It"s just a coincidence that both are in favor of frequent colonoscopies.
http://www.noob.us/miscellaneous
/fox-news-exposed-by-employees/
Posted by hungry1968 at 09:55 PM : Oct 30, 2007
Thanks, hungry. i took a look and while most of what''s stated is just plain common sense, I really was impressed with the gaul of Fox''s CEO stating "we just want to do fine, profssional journalism".
With a penchant for telling lies as he demonstrates, it''s no wonder he''s a neocon supporter, eh?
Posted by Iceman_1960 at 10:03 PM : Oct 30, 2007
I wrote CBS and told them they were out of their mind when I read Couric was being considered. Their ratings since prove that I was right.
Posted by FeelFree1 at 08:38 PM : Oct 30, 2007
-Just wondering how for a sudden this dam is a danger. United Nations need to send inspectors in order to inspect the state of that dam. Check for holes, deep-drilled holes, in prevision of a gigantic biblical flooding...
What''s a few billion more US taxpayer dollars for our friends in Dubai and Kuwait?
I hope all you neocons are rejoicing at keeping those tax and spend Dems out of power. They would be frittering away your tax dollars on frivolities here in the USA if given the chance.
It is interesting that this story is suddenly pushed to the forefront.
Surely it was a looming catastrophe two months ago or even a year ago.
Where were our probing journalists then - ever eager as they are known to be (NOT) to uncover the important news and especially the truth?
BAM!! POW!! BAM!! (picture "Batman" style graphics)
No more dam!! No more problem!!
FOR WHEN YOU REALLY GONNA NEED''EM...
I can''t understand why we are sending money for Iraq to reinforce a failing dam, when our own infrastructure is crumbling.
-
by morris61
November 1, 2007 5:49 PM PDT
- Several million more dead Iraq citizens will never stand in the way of neocon profits.After the dam gives way from the explosive charges attached to it an American Corporation that has already been selected,will rebuild it for only 5 billion dollars.
-
Reply to this comment
-
See all 49 Comments