The Iraq Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Electricity have made the stabilisation of the Mosul dam a top priority, with an additional US$20M in Iraq Recontruction and Relief Funds allocated for repair work on the structure.
Reconstruction work on the earthen dam – the largest dam in Iraq – includes an upgrade of specialised maintenance equipment, seismic monitors, materials and spare parts. A training element is included with the aid package to help make the project self-sustaining in the future.
Completed in 1983, the dam has required maintenance to grout areas of leakage on a regular basis. New automatic grout injection equipment will help eliminate seepage under the dam, while new seismic equipment will monitor the dam’s stability.
An Iraqi contractor has been selected for the repair work, with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) providing engineering and quality-control oversight from the Gulf Region Nort.h.
Mosul dam holds back over 12Bm3 of water for the arid western Ninewah Province, while providing hydroelectricity for 1.7M residents in the Mosul area. Work on the 320MW project is scheduled for completion in early 2006.