1
1 Holes occur as water seeps into the dam’s base, causing continuous structual deterioration
2 Injections of concrete grout prevent the foundations failing, but maintenance stalled when Isis briefly captured the site in 2014
3 Sluice gates normally used to relieve water pressure are jammed shut
3
2
Grout
pump
Mosul dam
Water soluble
gypsum
Failing foundations and rising water levels put Mosul dam in danger of collapse
Grand Mosque
Flooding could reach depths greater than 45 feet in some parts of Mosul
Areas that could
be affected by
flooding
Mosul
Ruins of
Nineveh
Airport
Source: IWTC, Journal of Earth Sciences
and Geotechnical Engineering
2 km
2 miles
Residents of Mosul have been advised to move at least 3.5 miles away from the river
One million people along the Tigris could be at risk from a 20-metre-high flash flood if the Mosul dam collapses
Badush dam
Intended to be the failsafe in case of a disaster at Mosul dam, the Badush project was abandoned in 1991
Iraq
Samarra
Tikrit
Mosul
Mosul dam
Baghdad
50 km
50 miles
Euphrates
river
Tigris river
3
Sluice gates normally used to relieve water pressure are jammed shut
2
Injections of concrete grout prevent the foundations failing, but maintenance stalled when Isis briefly captured the site in 2014
1
Holes occur as water seeps into the dam’s base, causing continuous structual deterioration
3
2
1
At full capacity, the dam holds
11.1bn cubic meters of water
Grout
pump
Mosul dam
Water soluble gypsum
foundation
Levels could soon rise
22m with the spring melt
Current water level
Highway 1
to Baghdad
Road 80
to Kirkuk
Highway 2
to Irbil
Grand Mosque
Farm land
Farm land
Guardian graphic
Source: IWTC, Journal of Earth Sciences and Geotechnical Engineering
Flooding could reach depths greater than 45 feet in some parts of Mosul
Areas that could
be affected by
flooding
2 km
2 miles
River Tigris
Mosul
Ruins of
ancient Nineveh
Airport
University
Failing foundations and rising water levels put Mosul dam in danger of collapse
Residents of Mosul have been advised to move at least 3.5 miles away from the river
One million people along the Tigris could be at risk from a 20-metre-high flash flood if the Mosul dam collapses
Badush dam
Intended to be the failsafe in case of a disaster at Mosul dam, the Badush project was abandoned in 1991 due to economic sanctions against Iraq
Iraq
Samarra
Tikrit
Mosul
Mosul dam
Baghdad
50 km
50 miles
Euphrates
river
Tigris river