Jordan's Arab Potash Company (APC) is taking precautionary measures to stop the possible collapse of the number 18 Dead Sea dam, built for mineral extraction, and to plug leaks in its foundations, according to the Jordan Times, citing a press report.
An APC source was quoted by Al Arab Al Yawm newspaper as saying that “water has been leaking into the dam over the past four days, prompting the company to stop pumping Dead Sea water into the facility.”
According to the source, APC workers discovered large cracks near the foundation of the dam and blamed the leakage on the accumulation of salt residues which, the company claims, existed before the dam was built.
Company sources expressed fear that the dam might face the same fate of number 19 dam, which was built at the cost of JD27 million. That dam collapsed in March 2000, and APC officials then decided to take legal action against the parties involved in the dam's construction, including the designer and the contractor, as well as the insurance companies, the report added – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
