Heavy rains put pressure on quake-damaged dam
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Earthquake-damaged Darbandikhan dam is under further pressure because of recent heavy rainfalls, which has resulted in more electricity production, but less water storage.
"To strike a balance so that there is no danger to the dam, this year we cannot store much in the dam. That is, we cannot store water to the extent it would endanger the dam," Rahman Khani, the head of Darbandikhan dam, told Rudaw on Thursday.
Local officials say they were forced to release 30 million cubic-meters of water because of this week's heavy rains.
Because of the increased water volume, the hydroelectric dam is producing more electricity.
"We can make use of this water to generate electricity for people. Nowadays, we have two units with each producing 75 megawatts of electricity, in total 150 megawatts of electricity. In the past, only one unit was operating for 12 hours. Currently, two units are operating for 24 hours," Hamid Ali, the head of electricity department in Darbandikhan, told Rudaw.
The Iraqi government sent a team to Darbandikhan in late-November to assess the extent of the damage inflicted on the dam.
"We are doing two things. First, we have dedicated 3 billion IQD [$2.5mn] to repair the dam soon. Second, we will support all the affected people," said Darbaz Mohammed, the head of an Iraqi committee formed to oversee repairs to the structure.
Kurdish officials have been concerned about lower groundwater tables this season.
"To strike a balance so that there is no danger to the dam, this year we cannot store much in the dam. That is, we cannot store water to the extent it would endanger the dam," Rahman Khani, the head of Darbandikhan dam, told Rudaw on Thursday.
Local officials say they were forced to release 30 million cubic-meters of water because of this week's heavy rains.
Because of the increased water volume, the hydroelectric dam is producing more electricity.
Previously, 50 cubic-meters of water flowed through the turbines, generating 35 megawatts per second of electricity.
Because of the recent rising water levels, 280 cubic-meters of water is being released, and electricity production in Darbandikhan dam has reached 150 megawatts per second.
"We can make use of this water to generate electricity for people. Nowadays, we have two units with each producing 75 megawatts of electricity, in total 150 megawatts of electricity. In the past, only one unit was operating for 12 hours. Currently, two units are operating for 24 hours," Hamid Ali, the head of electricity department in Darbandikhan, told Rudaw.
The dam can hold 2.6 billion cubic-meters of water. But because of the impact of the earthquake, it can currently hold just 1.5 billion cubic-meters of water so that the dam doesn't collapse.
The Iraqi government sent a team to Darbandikhan in late-November to assess the extent of the damage inflicted on the dam.
"We are doing two things. First, we have dedicated 3 billion IQD [$2.5mn] to repair the dam soon. Second, we will support all the affected people," said Darbaz Mohammed, the head of an Iraqi committee formed to oversee repairs to the structure.
Kurdish officials have been concerned about lower groundwater tables this season.