Image credit: Unsplash

5 CATASTROPHIC DAM FAILURES IN THE WORLD

29 Feb 2024

Image credit: Unsplash

Dams are engineering marvel built across rivers and streams to hold back water across a stream or river

Image credit: Pexels

The potential benefits include water supply, electricity generation, flood control, recreation and irrigation

Image credit: Unsplash

However, their construction and maintenance can sometimes lead to catastrophic failures

Image credit: Pixabay

Here are some of these incidents that resulted in devastating consequences

Image credit: Unsplash

One of the earliest recorded dam disasters is the Johnstown Flood of 1889

Image credit: Pixabay

The South Fork Dam there failed after days of heavy rainfall resulting in death of 2,200 people

Image credit: Pixabay

In 1975, the Banqiao Dam in China's Henan province failed during a severe rainstorm caused by a typhoon

Image credit: Unsplash

The floodwaters surged through downstream towns, resulting in the loss of an estimated 171,000 lives

Image credit: Unsplash

Another major disaster was reported in June 1976, when the Teton Dam situated in Idaho experienced a catastrophic failure

Image credit: Pixabay

The dam failed just six months after its completion and 11,000 people were evacuated

Image credit: Pixabay

In 1979, the structure of Machchhu Dam in Gujarat collapsed due to heavy rain, killing 2,000 people

Image credit: Unsplash

The Vajont Dam, situated in the Italian Alps, experienced a catastrophic landslide-induced wave in October 1963

Check more stories

ndtv.com