AMMAN — The
Audit Bureau’s report for 2021
has revealed critical and dangerous transgressions in a project to increase the
height of the Wala Dam at a cost of JD31 million.
اضافة اعلان
The dam serves the agricultural areas on both sides
of the Wala Valley below the dam in the Madaba Governorate.
According to the report, when the engineers of the
Audit Bureau conducted a field inspection last September of the construction
works assigned to two companies at a value of JD25 million funded by a joint
grant, it was found that the dam was emptied several times between January and
March of 2021.
The total sum of emptied water was estimated at more
than 3 million cubic meters, including 800,000 cubic meters in one day. The
emptying of the dam was approved by the
Jordan Valley Authority, which
confirmed that the emptying was based on the minister’s instructions at the
time.
The report showed that an expert was assigned to
conduct a study regarding the new height of the dam, who expressed concern over
its safety and reservations about increasing its height. The engineer
recommended then not to fill the dam above its original height.
The expert report stated that “Al-Wala dam was
originally ramified in its right and left sides, and it was raised by a
reinforced concrete retaining wall, and this is not common in dam engineering.”
It said the ramp must be of the “same nature and
composition as the original dam, which could have significant effects on the
structural behavior, as each type has different structural parameters that
result in different settlement rates.”
The report warned of a high probability of pipe
erosion inside the body of the original dam, especially since parts of the
concrete wall and separators are located above the clay core.
It said that there is evidence of settlement in the
concrete wall, which affects the movement of the concrete wall vertical and
horizontal directions, and that such movements put pressure on the eight water
stops and could damage them, and lead to leakage of water through them.
According to the
Audit Bureau, the National
Committee for Dams agreed with what was stated in the report.
Alternately, it
said that it was necessary to develop and activate an integrated national
emergency plan of an effective warning and response system, with the
participation of all relevant parties, and in coordination with the National Center
for Security and Crisis Management, to evacuate the area below the dam in case
of increased risks of flooding, or collapse of the dam.
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