00:00The concrete of gigantic construction is cracking, barely keeping thousands of tons of water under control.
00:07That's when a tiny quake shakes the ground. It becomes a game changer.
00:12The old dam gives up.
00:14An enormous amount of water dashes through the rapidly growing ruptures, pressing on the crumbling wall of stone.
00:21Another moment, and the huge dam disappears among powerful waterfalls, rushing toward the village down in the valley.
00:29When a large dam hits 50 years old, it reaches its alert age.
00:33But it's basically a warning that maintaining the dam is going to get much harder.
00:38And the risk factor starts going up.
00:41A recent study by the UN Institute for Water, Environment and Health discovered that the UK and Japan have the most dams in this alert age category.
00:51No wonder. In both countries, the average dam is over 100 years old.
00:57If you, like me, are wondering why so many dams are getting old at the same time, the answer is pretty simple.
01:04Back in the middle of the 20th century, there was a massive dam building boom.
01:09In the late 1950s through the 1970s, countries built over 1,100 dams every year.
01:15But after 1990, the construction frenzy slowed down.
01:19No more than 500 new dams appeared every year.
01:23And since 2000, this number has dropped even more.
01:26To below 300.
01:28But the huge problem is that many of the dams built during that mid-century boom are all aging at the same time.
01:36And a lot of countries are facing infrastructure problems at the moment.
01:40Because what happens when these dams get too old?
01:43If they're not maintained, they're likely to start to fail.
01:46And that's a real disaster.
01:48Both for water supplies and safety.
01:51It's like a ginormous water-based game of Jenga.
01:55And like in the real thing, we need to make sure those pieces don't fall.
02:01A disaster like the one we're talking about happened to the Bancha'a Dam built in 1952.
02:07This structure collapsed in 1975 after catastrophic rains from Typhoon Nina, leading to the loss of up to 240,000 lives.
02:18One of the reasons was the dam's poor design.
02:21It wasn't built to withstand extreme conditions.
02:24So, when the region faced unprecedented downpours, the dam overflowed and collapsed.
02:30I bet you're now super eager to know whether that dam near your home is going to fail.
02:35Well, if you find it on our list of the world's most dangerous dams, maybe it's time to relocate.
02:42The Hoover Dam is one of the highest dams in the USA, standing on the Colorado River at the border between Nevada and Arizona.
02:51Towering at over 726 feet, it's a stunning sight, as well as a powerhouse of energy.
02:58Its base is as thick as two soccer fields are long, and each spillway can handle the volume of water that flows over Niagara Falls.
03:06But, experts warn that if the gigantic Hoover Dam breaks down, it'll most likely lead to catastrophic consequences, putting millions of lives at risk.
03:18The problem is, the dam is getting old.
03:20Plus, it's located in a seismically active area.
03:26The Almendra Dam is the highest dam in Spain.
03:29It was constructed between 1963 and 1970, and its main purpose is to control the flow of the River Tormes.
03:38This dam is no joke.
03:40Just a small manipulation could unleash a wave of destruction.
03:44So, it's actually a serious concern for those living downstream.
03:50The Jinping Dam, often referred to as the Jinping First Cascade, is the tallest dam in the world.
03:57Its height is 1,001 feet.
04:00You'll find it in China.
04:02It was constructed to regulate the flow of the Yelung River.
04:06This structure carries immense responsibility, producing between 16 and 18 billion kilowatt-hours annually.
04:15The average U.S. household consumes about 11,000 kilowatt-hours per year.
04:20It means that the energy produced by the Jinping Hydropower Station is enough to supply around 1.6 million households.
04:28The Kariba Dam is a colossal structure built on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
04:35Multiple authorities carry out its maintenance, but according to reports, if repairs are not conducted as soon as possible,
04:42the dam could lead to terrible destruction in the surrounding regions.
04:46It's crucial to keep an eye on this giant.
04:50The Mosul Dam is one of the most dangerous dams in the world.
04:54It's constructed of loose mud instead of concrete.
04:58This design mishap has led to ongoing erosion.
05:01The mud gets washed away by the river slowly and steadily.
05:05People work around the clock to repair and maintain the dam, but it's still a crucial site of concern.
05:12The Iduki Dam, located in Kerala, India, is a magnificent, double-curvature arch dam standing on the Periyar River.
05:21It's one of the highest arch dams in Asia, and it holds a huge volume of water.
05:26If a problem occurs at this dam, the consequences will be tragic for large areas.
05:31Such a disaster is likely to wipe out countless lives.
05:35So, the upkeep of the dam is crucial for everyone's safety.
05:40The Three Gorges Dam in China is one of the largest dams in the world, and the world's biggest hydroelectric power station, completed in 2012.
05:49The dam is nearly 600 feet tall and stretches for 7,660 feet.
05:55That's more than half the width of Manhattan.
05:58The construction is so huge and powerful that experts say it's even had serious impacts on Earth itself.
06:05For example, affecting the rotation of our planet.
06:09However great it is, this dam poses a serious risk to the environment and safety.
06:15For one thing, it was built in an earthquake-prone area. Yikes!
06:20Plus, sediment buildup in the reservoir might make the construction less stable.
06:25Also, when they were building this dam, they had to relocate over a million people and significantly change the ecosystem.
06:34Famous for its beauty, the Monticello Dam in the USA attracts thousands of visitors each year.
06:40One of the reasons people are so eager to come there is its captivating glory hole.
06:46Indeed, at first sight, it may look like a picturesque feature.
06:50But in reality, this glory hole is actually a doorway to danger.
06:55It's basically a giant concrete funnel sticking up out of the dam.
06:59When the lake's surface level rises over 440 feet above sea level, which is close to overflowing the dam,
07:06the water starts draining out through the funnel as if from a bathtub.
07:11It creates a hypnotizing swirl, but you wouldn't want to get too close and get lost in the process.
07:17Nestled on the Columbia River in Washington, the Grand Coulee Dam has been powering the Pacific Northwest since 1942.
07:25It contains nearly 12 million cubic yards of concrete,
07:29which is enough to build a sidewalk 4 feet wide and 4 inches thick and wrap it twice around the equator.
07:35But this magnificent structure has some worries too.
07:39It's an aging structure, and at over 80 years old, it needs lots of TLC.
07:45It's located in a seismically active zone, which brings its stability into question.
07:50The Kurobe Dam in Japan is a stunning 610 feet tall.
07:55It was finished in 1963, so the structure is already pretty old.
08:00Japan's earthquakes makes this dam a bit nervous too.
08:04And last but not least, the area is prone to heavy rainfall.
08:08Intense rain might put extra pressure on the structure.
08:13On the Indus River, the Tarbela Dam is the largest earth-filled dam in the world.
08:18It was completed in 1976.
08:21Its issues include sediment buildup, which reduces its storage capacity.
08:25Plus, climate change has altered water flow, threatening the stability of the dam.
08:31The main reason we build dams is for irrigation.
08:34They help get water to our crops,
08:36and a whopping 40% of the food we eat around the globe depends on these big water-holding structures.
08:44Next on the list is hydropower.
08:46Dams are like giant batteries, turning flowing water into electricity.
08:51Then we have water supply, flood control, and even such fun activities as boating and fishing.
08:57But since dams are getting older, something needs to be done to protect people living close to them.
09:03The U.S. is leading the way in something called dam removal,
09:06having taken down more than 1,200 dams in the last 30 years.
09:11Old dams are not only risky, but also expensive to maintain.
09:15So taking them down is often the smartest and cheapest move.
09:20That's it for today.
09:21So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends.
09:26Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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