Iraq has prepared contingency plans in case a dam in northern Syria that fell under rebel control two months ago collapses, an official told AFP on Monday.
The dam on the Euphrates river in Raqa province fell under the control of rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad in February. It generates 880 megawatts of power.
“We put plans in place to prevent the major damage that could be caused by such an incident,” Ali Hashem, the general director of Iraq’s national center for managing water resources, told AFP.
“We have to be ready for these kinds of incidents. When we saw what is happening in Syria, we put our plans in place.”
Hashem did not give details on what the plans specifically entailed, or what had sparked Iraqi officials’ concerns, as the area surrounding the dam has largely been peaceful since it fell under rebel control in February.
Completed in 1973 after five years of construction, it was dubbed al-Thawra or “revolution” dam for the 1966 military coup that brought Hafez al-Assad, the father and predecessor of the current Syrian president, to power.
According to the Syrian ministry of water resources website, the dam is 4.5 kilometers long, 60 meters high and 512 meters wide at its base.
It holds back Lake Assad, also named for the former ruler, a 14.1 billion cubic meter (500 billion cubic feet) man-made reservoir midway along the 2,800 kilometer Euphrates, which flows from Turkey to the north to Iraq in the east.

Iraq makes contingency plans for Syria dam collapse

A dam on the Euphrates river in Raqa province fell under the control of rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad in February. (AFP)
AFP, Baghdad
Monday 22 April 2013
Last Update: Monday, 22 April 2013 KSA 22:20 - GMT 19:20
DAY | WEEK |
-
16152 Views Loud explosion heard in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh
-
2562 Views Coronavirus: Police detain 100 in Amsterdam after protest over lockdown, curfew
-
1831 Views Israel talks tough on Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas: Our response to be extreme in next war
-
1283 Views US Senate Republicans unite behind failed efforts to halt Trump impeachment trial
-
660 Views German court blocks return of two refugees to Greece, citing risks facing them
-
399 Views Grazing cows lead to squabble on Lebanese-Israeli border
-
24127 Views Coronavirus: Dubai temporarily postpones Pfizer vaccine campaign amid global shortage
-
19804 Views Saudi Arabia’s PIF to invest 3 trillion riyals over next 10 years: Crown Prince
-
16152 Views Loud explosion heard in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh
-
10172 Views The American University of Beirut’s battle for survival
-
8889 Views Full moon to align directly above Kaaba in Mecca on Jan. 28
-
8484 Views Coronavirus: Dubai restaurants offer discounts for vaccinated diners
SHOW MORE