New York Times: a million and a half Iraqis at risk of collapse as a result of the weakness of the Mosul dam

New York Times: a million and a half Iraqis at risk of collapse as a result of the weakness of the Mosul dam maintenance

2016/01/11 20:29

Long-Presse / Baghdad
Revealed an American newspaper, a global non-proliferation, on Monday, about the possibility of the death or displacement of more than 1.0005 million thousand Iraqis living on the banks of the Tigris, including the capital Baghdad, if it collapsed Mosul Dam, while revealed the US administration concern of this and invited the World Bank allocated 200 million loan for Iraq, for the maintenance of the dam, quoted Iraqi officials reaffirmed the existence of a contingency plan to cope with such “disaster.”
This came in a report published by The New York Times, The New York Times the US, today, about the possibility of the collapse of the Mosul Dam, he followed the (long-Presse).
The newspaper said that after “the passage of 16 months to recover from the dam by al Daash the infrastructure is in danger of collapse as a result of the lack of good maintenance, which could lead to the sinking of a broad population groups living on the banks of the Tigris River.”
And it quoted the New York Times, officials in the US State Department as saying, “The worst-case scenario that could happen in the event of the collapse of the dam and the high levels of the Tigris River, next spring, includes the possibility of the death of nearly half a million people drowned with the displacement of more than a million others from their homes,” Marjaheen possibility “that avoid or reduce the size of the civilian casualties by receiving alerts in a timely manner, with the possibility of a relatively few casualties if we get a partial collapse of the dam during the summer or fall, as a result of low water levels in the Tigris.”
The newspaper added that “US President Barack Obama, said during a conversation with the head of the Iraqi government, Haider al-Abadi, last Wednesday, (the sixth of January the current 2016), about the latest developments in the battle against al-Daash, the need for the operations of the restoration of an emergency bridge Mosul” .
According to a senior official in the US Department of Defense (Pentagon), according to the newspaper, the “Repeat the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, US Army, Gen. Joseph Dnford, the need for maintenance operations urgent Mosul Dam, and that during a meeting with the President of the Iraqi government, last Thursday, (the seventh of January current) “.
According to The New York Times, that “US officials have urged the Iraqi government to start warning its citizens, especially those living in Mosul, under the control of Daash, in order to take precautions and determine the places where Chevron to it if the start of indicators collapse of the dam, as a result of concern are haunted by the possibility of non-implementation operations Maintenance of the dam at the right time. ”
The newspaper pointed out, that “an official in the State Department is working as a member of a team formed by the public ministry in 2015 the past, to focus on that problem, he saw that the next spring increases the fears of the collapse of the Mosul Dam due to rising water levels,” pointing out that “The ministry estimates that the absence of strenuous efforts to repair the dam threatens to collapse, even though that official did not expect that date. ”
And saw the New York Times, that “the heart of the problem lies in the large engineering challenge requires attempts to strengthen the weak and the assignment of the foundations of the dam huge, which was built during the reign of the former regime on clay layer chalky limestone plaster weak”.
According to Iraqi officials, the newspaper said, that “the Trevi Italian company discussed with the Iraqi government the possibility of conducting urgent repairs to the bridge at a cost of nearly Al380 million dollars.”
The newspaper quoted the Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Renzi, was quoted as saying in media statements, in December 2015 the past, he “planned to send 450 soldiers Italy to Mosul dam to provide protection for workers Italian company if they started work there,” afterthought “but negotiations contained in security measures It is not over yet. ”
He said the Iraqi ambassador in Washington, Luqman Philly, in remarks to the New York Times, Sunday, (the tenth of January the current 2016), “The Iraqi government understands the dangers of Mosul dam will meet a team of Italian company this week to continue negotiations with him,” adding that “the dam is protected Iraqi forces and the government does not have objections to the requirement to provide additional security experts, whether they are from Italy or any other country in the international coalition to protect the engineers Italians. ”
For his part, Iraqi Minister of Water Resources, Mohsen al-Shammari, told media during last December, according to the newspaper, said that “Iraq does not need any foreign support for the protection of the Mosul Dam.”
And it quoted the New York Times, for Rashid Mahdi, al-Shammari adviser, as saying in an interview with her, that “there is no need for the coming of Italian troops to protect the dam.”
According to The New York Times, that “the Obama administration has ruled out taking charge of the dam repair project itself, as the Pentagon rejected the idea of ​​establishing a base near the dam to protect the engineers who will be maintained.”
But the US administration, according to the newspaper, “helped the Iraqis on the other hand at the invitation of the World Bank to allocate $ 200 million of the adult billion and $ 200 million granted to Iraq a loan, to the work of Mosul dam maintenance, where US officials to invite international companies to negotiate with Iraq directly and create special security measures in the maintenance of the dam. ”
Officials said at the State, according to the New York Times, “The greatest danger of the collapse of the dam will have on the population of the city of Mosul, as will high stream of water pouring from it up to 80 feet and continue Ptdvgah along the Tigris River toward the cities of Tikrit and Samarra, down to Baghdad, where the water will immerse bridges on its way to its road sweeping southward debris and bodies either buildings overlooking the Tigris River in Baghdad, including the US Embassy Vsyagmurha flood water at a height of 13 feet. ”
But the newspaper quoted Ambassador Philly, his assertion that “the Iraqi government has a contingency plan if the collapse of the Mosul Dam.”

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