Zeyzoun Dam
The Zeyzoun Dam is a failed embankment dam in Hama Governorate, Syria. It impounded water pumped from the nearby Orontes River. The dam was completed in 1996 and its primary purpose was the irrigation of about 14,000 ha (35,000 acres). The dam's reservoir was filled in the winter and expended its water during the summer.[1]
| Zeyzoun Dam | |
|---|---|
  Location of Zeyzoun Dam in Syria | |
| Country | Syria |
| Location | Zeyzoun |
| Coordinates | 35°43′03″N 36°21′48″E |
| Status | Failed |
| Opening date | 1996 |
| Demolition date | 4 June 2002 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Embankment |
| Height | 32 m (105 ft) |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 71,000,000 m3 (57,561 acre⋅ft) |
The dam failed on 4 June 2002, killing 22 people, displacing 2,000 and directly affecting over 10,000. Hours before the dam failed, in the afternoon, cracks were noticed in the embankment. People were evacuated as water began to pour through the cracks. The water eventually breached an 80 m (262 ft) wide hole in the dam which released a 3.3 m (11 ft) tall wave of water. The water engulfed 80 km2 (31 sq mi), destroying 251 homes and damaging hundreds of others.[2][3] Several International organizations, non-government organizations and nations sent aid.[1] Reportedly, Syrian officials had ignored warnings that the dam was in need of serious repair.[4]
See also
References
- "Syria - Collapse of Dam/floods OCHA Situation Report No. 4" (PDF). ReliefWeb. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- "Syrian dam collapses". BBC News. 4 June 2002. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- Chanson, Hubert (2009). "Embankment Overflow Protection Systems and Earth Dam Spillways" (PDF). Dams: Impacts, Stability and Design.
- Moubayed, Sami (2002). "A dam shame". Damascus: Al-Ahram Weekly. Retrieved 26 February 2012.