a reply to:
CrastneyJPR
I am trying to understand what you meant, obviously those images refer to a disaster in south east Asia, not in South America, but that gives an idea
of what may occur in any other place of the world under similar circumstances.
Now, with respect to Hidro Ituango, the arrival of the dry season in Colombia has given a second air to the people working there to try to complete
their work in what they consider it is viable to perform to save the Dam.
The Machines Room of the Dam has been flooded since Late May in a disparate attempt to reduce the pressure inside the complex, and trying to give time
to the completion of the necessary adjustments that supposedly will lead to use the drainage gates that are intended to facilitate the exit of fluid
at constant rate.
The damages on the Generators are right now estimated in many millions of dollars, since they were not yet installed when the water came inside, so it
is likely they can be practically broken.
As soon as the rain season arrives again is when we are going to know if the results are really fixing the crisis or if to the contrary there is no
way to save the complex at all.
The rains are expected to start again by early September, and that is a good reason for which the displaced people, that are still living in shelters,
about 8000 persons, are still there in stand by, authorities have not dared to allow them to return to their towns.
Please check:
www.semana.com...
The National authority of environmental Licenses, ANLA, has ordered the complete shutdown of the dam, they consider that the complex represents a also
huge risk that must not be allowed to operate, they only have given license to perform maneuvers that fix the crisis.
However, EPM, the aqueduct and Power supply company of Medellin has not yet surrendered their expectation to see Hidro Ituango working by 2019.
Everything points to the fact that the New President Ivan Duque-Marquez is who must decide to take the risk to try to put it functioning, of course
if that fails it may represent a terrible disaster, a horrible political fiasco to face.
I see pretty much unlikely that this giant dam can operate normally, the site is plagued of tectonic faults that with the weight of millions of tons
of water can collapse the complex anytime.
I would not suggest him to gamble with the risk of to trigger a pandemonium precisely in the region He is coming from, also the region of the leader
of his party, Alvaro Uribe Velez.
That would be a terrible mistake if occurs at the very beginning of his administration, specially since acting against the advising of ANLA would
create a scandal so strong in case of failure that even may remove him from power through impeachment.
Please check:
www.semana.com...
The Angel of Lightness
edit on 7/24/2018 by The angel of light because: (no reason given)