A Dam's Worst (And Most Ironic) Enemy: Water
Dams hold back huge forces. Since the early 1900s, several dams have folded under the pressure.
TETON DAM
Less than one year after the completion of the 940-m-long dam in the state of Idaho, things went wrong. On 5 June 1976, water began to ooze through the massive earthwork. Four hours later, the dam collapsed, and billions of l of water poured out. CASUALTIES: 11 CAUSE: Poor choice of materials YEAR: 1976
VAL DI STAVA DAM
The dam in Northern Italy collapsed on 19 July 1985. A clogged drain pipe caused the upper of the dam's two reservoirs to overflow. As the upper dam collapsed, the water pressure affecting the lower dam made the latter collapse as well. CASUALTIES: 268 CAUSE: Overfilling, disrepair YEAR: 1985
KOSHI BARRAGE
In 2008, things went wrong, when a dike by the Koshi Barrage sluice on the border between Nepal and India collapsed, flooding thousands of square kilometres of land in Northern India. Approximately 2.3 million people were affected by the flooding. CASUALTIES: 434 CAUSE: Poorly maintained dike collapsed YEAR: 2008