Have you ever seen a dam that has a huge hole just beside it? Do you know about a dam that is similar to a live bomb that can blast any time? Yes, there are so many dams around the world that are extremely dangerous. Even a small manipulation with these dams can kill millions of people living in their proximity. In today’s post, we are going to discuss the most dangerous dams in the world in 2023. In our list, we have included the highest, deepest, and massive dams in the world in 2023. Go through this post because one of these dangerous dams is from our country India.
10 most Dangerous Dams in the world 2023
Given below is the list of ten most dangerous dams in the world in 2023. Please note that we have taken care of many factors like their volume, vulnerability, etc to give ranking of these dangerous dams across the world:
Hoover Dam – USA
- Location – Clark County, Nevada/Mohave County, Arizona, U.S.
- Operating Since – 1936 (more than 85 years ago)
- Operator – U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
- Dam Volume – 3,250,000 cu yd (2,480,000 m3)
- Nearest City – Boulder City, Nevada
- Overview – Made of concrete, Hoover Dam was earlier known as “Boulder Dam” or “Boulder Canyon Dam”. It is the highest dam in the USA constructed on the Colorado River. Location-wise it is on the border between the US states of Nevada and Arizona. The height of this dam is around 726 ft. As per many experts, the Hoover dam can kill millions of people if it broke down. In many Hollywood movies, Hoover dam is shown to be broken.
Almendra Dam (Spain)
- Location – Salamanca, Spain
- Type of Dam – Arch with buttress section
- Operating Since – 1970
- Operator – Iberdrola
- Dam Volume – 2,186,000 m3 (2,859,180 cu yd)
- Nearest City – Salamanca, Spain
- Overview – Almendra Dam is one of the highest dams in Spain and it is also known by the name of “Villarino Dam”. The dam was constructed between 1963 and 1970 to control the flow of the river Tornes. We are adding this dam to the list of most dangerous because it controls 2.5 billion cubic metre of water. Even a small manipulation with this dam can cause huge destruction. The height of this dam is around 202 m.
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Jinping-I Dam – China
- Official Name – Jinping-I Hydropower Station
- Location – Yanyuan County and Muli Tibetan Autonomous County, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan, China
- Type of Dam – Tall arch dam
- Operating Since – 2014
- Height – 305 m
- Dam Volume – 7,760,000,000 m3
- Nearest City – Liangshan, Sichuan, China
- Overview – The Jinping – I dam is better known by the name “Jinping 1st Cascade”. It is a tall arch dam constructed on the Jinping bend of the Yalong River in Liangshan, Sichuan, China. It is a relatively new dam completed in the year 2014. Jinping – I dam is the tallest dam in the world and largest in China. The aim of this dam is to control the flow of the Yalong River (the largest river in south-east Asia). Many engineers have already raised questions about the strength and design of this dam. Any mishap can kill a large number of
Kariba Dam – Zimbabwe
- Location – Zambia, Zimbabwe
- Operating Since – 1959
- Operator – Zambezi River Authority
- Height – 128 m
- Nearest City – Kariba
- Overview – Kariba Dam is constructed on the river Zambezi. The height of this river is 128 m and its length is 579 m. One end of this dam is in Zambia and another end is in Zimbabwe. The maintenance of this dam is carried on by different authorities. According to a report, if this dam is not repaired in time then it can cause massive destruction in the surrounding areas. There are more than 3.5 million people dependent on this dam.
Mosul Dam – Iraq
- Location – Mosul, Nineveh Governorate, Iraq
- Operating Since – 1986
- Operator – Ministry of Water Resources
- Height – 113 m
- Length – 3.4 Km
- Nearest City – Mosul Dam
- Overview – When you look at any picture of Mosul Dam it looks quite different from the others. It is certainly one of the most dangerous dams in the world. It is so because it is made of loose mud instead of concrete. The mud is getting washed away slowly with the water. The authorities keep on repairing this dam 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. The construction of an emergency relief dam is not yet completed. Apart from this, the dam is also susceptible to ISIS attacks.
Idukki Dam – Kerala
- Location – Idukki taluk, Kerala
- Operating Since – 1975
- Operator – Kerala State Electricity Board
- Height – 168.91 m (554 ft)
- Length – 365.85 m (1,200 ft)
- Nearest City – Idukki
- Overview – The Idukki Dam is a double curvature Arch dam constructed on the Periyar River. It is one of the highest arch dams in Asia. This dam is constructed along with dams at Cheruthoni and Kulamavu. These three dams creates an artificial lake of the length of 60 kilometres. The amount of water that this dam store is huge. So, in case of any problem with this dam, it can flood a number of villages nearby and kill a lot of people.
Three Gorges Dam – China
- Location – Sandouping, Yiling District, Hubei
- Operator – China Yangtze Power (subsidiary of China Three Gorges Corporation)
- Operating Since – 1994
- Height – 181 m (594 ft)
- Length – 2,335 m (7,661 ft)
- Nearest City – Sandouping
- Overview – Three Gorges Dam is the largest dam in the world located in China. The length of this dam is 2.3 kilometre. As per many reports, the construction of this dam has affected the rotation of the earth. As per many experts, this dam causes the earthquake in China in 2008 that killed more than 87000 people. In addition to this, many a time, this dam is seen to be flowing higher than dangerous level. This dam is among the most dangerous dams in the world.
Monticello Dam– USA
- Location – Vaca Mountains, Napa County, California
- Operating Since – 1957
- Operator – Solano Irrigation District
- Height – 304 feet
- Length – 1023 feet
- Nearest City – Napa Country, California
- Overview – This one is the most beautiful dam in the world. It attracts thousands of tourists every year. The reason why we are labelling this dam dangerous is its glory hole. It is true that this glory hole looks beautiful but it is like a doorway to death. No one ever has survived after falling into this hole. There are turbines at the other end of this dam that is used to create electricity.
Gordon Dam – Australia
- Location – South West Tasmania
- Operating Since – 1978
- Height – 140 m (459 feet)
- Length – 198 m (650 feet)
- Nearest City – Tasmania
- Overview – Located in South West Tasmania, Australia, Gordon Dam is constructed on the Gordon River. It is the fifth tallest dam in Australia. The dam is listed as a National Engineering Landmark by Engineers Australia as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program. Although the dam is strong the location of this dam is crucial. In case of any crack or break, it will cause huge destruction.
Contra Dam – Switzerland
- Location – Ticino, Switzerland
- Operating Since – 1965
- Height – 220 m (720 feet)
- Length – 380 m (1250 feet)
- Nearest City – Gordola, Switzerland
- Overview – The Contra dam is popularly known as the Verzasca Dam and the Locarno Dam. Recently, the dam has a popular destination for bungee jumping after a James Bond stuntman jumped off it in the opening scene of the 1995 film GoldenEye. The amount of water that this dam holds is unbelievable. It can wash away multiple cities in the country in case of a mishap. The climax scene of the Indian Bollywood movie Dhoom 3 was shot at this dam.
So, this is our list of top 10 scariest dams in the world 2023. Do you think we missed any of the dams? Then, please let us know through the comment section. You may also share your feedback and suggestions.