Iraqi MP warns against attacks on Mosul dam

The Mosul Dam would be safe if a foreign country does not sabotage it, said an Iraqi Member of Parliament (MP).

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Mosul Dam would be safe if a foreign country does not sabotage it, said an Iraqi Member of Parliament (MP).

Ali al-Bidery, Head of the Water and Agriculture Committee in the Iraqi Parliament, warned on Monday against the possibility of a hostile attack on the Mosul Dam by "a foreign country" without offering further details.

Al-Bidery added that an Italian company is renovating the dam which has been successful in preventing it from collapsing.

Speaking to an Iraqi news agency, Al-Bidery said that “The management and technical aspect of the dam is in good progress and there is no sign of possible collapse.”

However, he expressed his concern over foreign threats without specifying which country might attack.

In February 2016, Italy’s Trevi Company won a deal worth $296 million to repair and maintain the Mosul Dam.

The renovation which was stopped because of the Islamic State (IS) invasion has been resumed.

“The real threats for the dam are rumors about its collapse and possible hostile actions by a foreign country,” the Iraqi MP added.

On January 10, the Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi assured people of Iraq that the risk of the Mosul Dam collapse is low.

He stated that “It is the responsibility of the government to take all precautionary measures and to find required solution because the collapse of the dam would be disastrous.”

Mosul Dam, now under the protection of Peshmerga forces, is the largest dam in Iraq and the fourth largest one in the Middle East.

The construction of the dam, located on Tigris River in the Western Nineveh Province, 60km north of Mosul, began in 1980 by German and Italian companies and was completed in July 1986.

 

Editing by Ava Homa