Advertisement

US-backed Syrian forces race to stop 'catastrophic' dam collapse

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters are said to be advancing along the Euphrates towards Raqqa  - Reuters
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters are said to be advancing along the Euphrates towards Raqqa - Reuters

US-backed forces in Syria are racing to retake the country’s biggest dam from Isil amid warnings it is at serious risk of collapse.

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Monday inched closer, retaking a strategic military airbase just miles from the dam. 

The Tabqa dam, which has been under Islamic of Iraq and the Levant control for more than two years, was put out of service by fighting in the area on Sunday, causing water levels to rise dangerously behind the structure and placing it at risk of collapse.

Isil issued a statement ordering residents of Tabqa and nearby Raqqa to evacuate, blaming US coalition air strikes.

The jihadist group released images showing some minor structural damage to the roof of the power station and fire damage to the control room.

The US-led coalition in turn blamed Isil, which they said closed the dam's gates.

"The dam has not been structurally damaged to our knowledge and the coalition seeks to preserve the integrity of the dam as a vital resource to the people of Syria," read a coalition statement released on Monday.

SDF forces were in control of a spillway to the north "which can be used to alleviate pressure on the dam if need be", it added.

An engineer who worked at the dam for 10 years until last October said the site required urgent maintenance but there was currently no safe access for staff.

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters walk with their weapons, north of Raqqa city, Syria November 6, 2016. - Credit: Reuters
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters walk with their weapons, north of Raqqa city, Syria November 6, 2016. Credit: Reuters

 

“The dam is in critical condition,” Haytham Bakkour said. "The situation looks too dangerous for crewmen to be there, which means there no one present to even mechanically manoeuvre floodgates when necessary.

"If is not dealt with ASAP, a critical overflow is bound to happen and structure will then be jeopardised,” he said. “This could happen within 30 days.”

The United Nations has warned that damage to the dam, which supplies electrical power to a wide area of Syria, could lead to “massive scale flooding” across Raqqa and three other major Syrian cities downstream of the dam.

The consequence, they said, would be catastrophic. 

The US airdropped hundreds of SDF fighters just south of the Euphrates river last Wednesday in a bid to secure the dam before it suffered any further damage. 

The alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters launched its offensive for Raqqa in November, seizing around two thirds of the surrounding province.

The group is looking to isolate the city, the capital of Isil’s self-declared caliphate, before launching their final assault.  

At their closest point, they are just five miles from the Raqqa to the northeast.

READ MORE ABOUT: