40 years past from Macchu II Dam failure that took the lives of 25000 souls
Updated: Jul 28, 2020
Introduction
The Macchu II dam failure or Morbi disaster was a dam-related flood disaster which occurred on 11 August 1979, Forty years ago in India.
The Macchu II dam, situated on the Machhu river, burst, sending a wall of water through the town of Morbi. Estimates of the number of people killed range from 1800 to 25000 people.
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Construction of the Dam
Construction of the dam began in November 1967 by Manibhai & Brothers Construction.
800 feet (240 m) of tightly packed walls were placed on the western flank while 4600 feet ( 1400 m) were placed on the eastern flank.
The spillway contained 18 cavernous floodgates and controlled the reservoir's water.
FAILURE
Social Impact
The damage costs were estimated to be around £10 million.
8 days after the disaster 1137 human bodies had been disposed and 2919 animal corpses had been burnt.
Environmental Impact
Local raw materials were used for the construction of the dam which was an earthen dam design.