Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

> If maintenance were interrupted (social upheaval) then Hoover too would fail.

Probably not in your lifetime let alone in a generation. Mosul's an issue because the substrate is not suitable for dam building (it's soluble gypsum, so it just keeps eroding because dam foundations kind-of tend to be around water) so the dam has to be continuously grouted to prevent it from failing.



Add Mosul holds 2.5 million people on a floodplain. When the dam fails catastrophically, it will be a bloodbath. It'll happen in the next few years.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: