Millions of tons of water, towering concrete walls, and engineering pushed to the limit. Explore 10 of the world’s most dangerous dams—and the close calls and disasters that reveal just how powerful water can be. Which one surprised you most?
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0:00 - Introduction to Dangerous Dams
1:14 - Hoover Dam
2:48 - El Cajon Dam
3:47 - Almendra and Itaipu Dams
6:34 - Glen Canyon and Toktogul Dams
9:25 - Inguri and Oroville Dams
12:38 - Three Gorges and Bayon Dam
15:35 - Dam Safety and Closing Remarks
Subscribe for more incredible stories.
Comment what you liked most from the video.
#Dams #Engineering #History #Disasters #WorldFacts
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@noelpolotv
0:00 - Introduction to Dangerous Dams
1:14 - Hoover Dam
2:48 - El Cajon Dam
3:47 - Almendra and Itaipu Dams
6:34 - Glen Canyon and Toktogul Dams
9:25 - Inguri and Oroville Dams
12:38 - Three Gorges and Bayon Dam
15:35 - Dam Safety and Closing Remarks
Category
🏖
TravelTranscript
00:00Water is one of the most powerful and destructive forces in the world.
00:04When it accumulates in massive amounts and is held back by a huge concrete wall,
00:10the danger becomes even greater.
00:12All over the world, there are dams that can hold millions of tons of water.
00:18These are vital pieces of infrastructure for generating electricity,
00:22controlling rivers, and providing water to entire cities.
00:25But when something goes wrong or fails, the consequences can be immediate and devastating.
00:31There have been dams that almost collapsed,
00:34while others have caused disasters that claimed thousands of lives.
00:38And even now, many are still under intense pressure,
00:43especially in places where every mistake can have permanent consequences.
00:48In this video, we will discuss 10 of the most dangerous dams in the world,
00:53places where rules are followed.
00:55Engineering tries to control an extremely powerful force that,
01:00once unleashed, leaves almost no time to react.
01:03But before we start, if you're new to our channel,
01:06please click the subscribe button and also hit the notification bell
01:10so you'll always be updated with our latest videos.
01:14Hoover Dam, United States, in the middle of the desert,
01:19between Nevada and Arizona, stands one of the most famous structures in the world,
01:24the Hoover Dam.
01:26It is a concrete wall that stands over 220 meters tall.
01:30It blocks the Colorado River and forms Lake Mead,
01:33the largest reservoir in the United States.
01:36Behind this massive wall is not just water.
01:39There is continuous pressure that has built up over many decades.
01:43Its gravity arch design helps distribute the weight of the dam
01:48to the sides of the canyon.
01:50But because of the massive size of the entire system,
01:53it needs to be monitored and controlled very carefully.
01:57Down to the millimeter level, the lake level, river overflow,
02:01and the water needs of millions of people
02:03directly depend on the stability of the dam.
02:07More than 16 million people rely on the water from this dam,
02:12while hundreds of thousands of households
02:14depend on the electricity it generates.
02:16The real danger is not just the sudden collapse of the dam,
02:21but everything that could happen
02:22when such a massive amount of water is released.
02:25The uncontrolled release of water from Lake Mead
02:29could cause a massive surge along the river
02:32that would be extremely difficult to stop.
02:35Entire cities could be put at risk in just a matter of minutes.
02:39Here, the danger is not visible to the eye.
02:42It's in the immense force of water
02:45that must remain balanced every second.
02:48El Cajon Dam, Honduras in the heart of Honduras.
02:52Surrounded by mountains and dense vegetation,
02:55lies the El Cajon Dam,
02:57officially known as the Francisco Morazan Hydroelectric Power Plant.
03:02The dam stands over 220 meters tall
03:05and is one of the largest hydroelectric facilities in Central America.
03:09It is also vital to Honduras' electricity supply.
03:13Its location is no accident.
03:15The Comayagua River passes through a narrow, deep stretch of terrain here.
03:20Because of this,
03:21a large amount of water can be stored in a small space.
03:24This same characteristic is what makes the dam effective at controlling water.
03:30But at the same time,
03:31the pressure experienced by the structure also increases.
03:34During the rainy season,
03:36the amount of water entering the reservoir increases rapidly.
03:40Because of this,
03:41it is necessary to manage the massive waves of water within a short period of time.
03:45Al Mendra Dam,
03:47Spain in the province of Salamanca on the Tormes River.
03:52You can find the Al Mendra Dam,
03:54one of the largest structures in Spain.
03:56Its concrete wall is over 200 meters high
04:00and holds a massive reservoir.
04:02At first glance,
04:04there seems to be nothing to worry about around the dam.
04:07But when you see its true size,
04:09your perspective changes drastically.
04:11The Al Mendra Dam is spread over a vast area,
04:14so a huge amount of water accumulates here over a long period of time.
04:19This accumulated water continuously puts pressure on the structure.
04:24The dam needs to remain stable despite changes in water level,
04:28possible leaks inside,
04:30and changes in the ground.
04:32The system is also connected to Villarino Central through underground tunnels.
04:37Because of this,
04:38the whole system becomes more complicated.
04:41The dam doesn't just hold back water.
04:44It also needs to manage a large energy system
04:48that moves a huge amount of water through rocks and tunnels.
04:52Here,
04:53the danger doesn't show up as an obvious sign of damage.
04:57The real danger lies in the massive amount of water it constantly controls.
05:04Itaipu Dam,
05:05Paraguay,
05:06and Brazil on the Parana River,
05:08at the border of Paraguay and Brazil,
05:10stands the Itaipu Dam,
05:12one of the largest hydroelectric power plants in the world.
05:15Its entire system is not just a single wall.
05:18It is made up of many interconnected structures that stretch for several kilometers,
05:23and it controls a massive reservoir.
05:26Behind these structures is one of the largest bodies of water controlled by humans.
05:30The Parana River is one of the largest rivers in the world.
05:35When there are heavy rains, the amount of water flowing here rises quickly.
05:40To prevent excessive water rise,
05:43Itaipu releases water through its spillway.
05:46It can release tens of thousands of cubic meters of water per second ikond.
05:51In these situations,
05:53the dam operates near its maximum capacity
05:56while needing to control the tremendous force of the water.
06:22At Itaipu, the danger does not lie in a single visible weak point.
06:27The real challenge is in the massive river that it needs to control at all times.
06:33Glen Canyon Dam, United States
06:36In northern Arizona, on the Colorado River,
06:40stands the Glen Canyon Dam,
06:42a structure over 210 meters tall
06:45that created Lake Powell,
06:47one of the largest reservoirs in the United States.
06:50Unlike other dams,
06:52the danger here is not only seen in the wall itself.
06:56How the water flowing through it is controlled also matters.
07:00This became a major problem in the 1980s.
07:04After several consecutive periods of heavy rainfall,
07:07the water in the lake reached a very high level.
07:11It was necessary to release water through the spillways.
07:14But because of the extremely high speed and pressure of the water,
07:19an unexpected problem arose.
07:21This is called cavitation.
07:24Small vapor bubbles form within the flowing water.
07:28When these suddenly collapse,
07:30they create an extremely powerful force.
07:33Because of this,
07:35the concrete parts of the tunnels used to release water
07:38were quickly punctured and eroded,
07:41eventually forming large holes inside them.
07:44The damage was so severe
07:46that they had to reassess how to use the entire system.
07:51Since then,
07:53the use of the spillways has been controlled more carefully
07:56because suddenly releasing a large amount of water
07:59could cause the same destructive process again.
08:04At Glen Canyon,
08:05the danger is within the structure itself,
08:07especially when the water flows with tremendous force.
08:11At Toktugul Dam,
08:12Kyrgyzstan in the heart of Central Asia,
08:15Toktugul Dam blocks the Narin River.
08:18This is the largest hydroelectric facility in Kyrgyzstan.
08:22Its reservoir holds more than 19 cubic kilometers of water
08:26and plays a key role in managing the water supply throughout the region.
08:30But this system has been in use for several decades
08:34since the time of the Soviet Union.
08:35The dam is part of a large network
08:39built to manage and distribute the water supply
08:42between the republics that are now separate countries.
08:46Because of this,
08:48managing it has become more complicated.
08:50The decision of when to release water
08:52does not depend solely on technical requirements.
08:56It is also necessary to consider energy needs
09:00and agreements between countries in the region.
09:03Over time,
09:05prolonged use has also affected the infrastructure.
09:09Maintenance and modernization were not done regularly,
09:12so the accumulated damage may affect different parts of the system.
09:17Compounding the problem are the area's harsh conditions,
09:20including severe winters and moderate seismic activity in the region.
09:25Inguri Dam, Georgia,
09:27in the northwestern part of Georgia,
09:29near the border of Abkhazia,
09:31is the Inguri Dam.
09:33It reaches over 270 meters in height,
09:36making it one of the tallest dams in the world.
09:39It blocks the waters of the Inguri River
09:41in a mountainous and steep area
09:43where operations become more complicated
09:46due to the terrain and climate conditions.
09:48This infrastructure has a unique characteristic.
09:51The dam is under the control of Georgia,
09:55while the associated hydroelectric power plant
09:58is in territory controlled by Abkhazia.
10:01Because of this,
10:02continuous coordination is needed between the two sides,
10:05which control different parts of the area.
10:07This kind of situation is unusual for a hydroelectric facility.
10:12From a technical standpoint,
10:13Inguri has required major repairs and interventions in recent years.
10:18Leaks have been identified in the structure,
10:20and there are problems related to soil stability.
10:23These leaks do not mean that the dam is about to collapse,
10:27but it does show that it needs to be continuously monitored.
10:32The enormous amount of water it holds,
10:34along with the height of the dam
10:35and the difficult surrounding conditions,
10:37requires continuous monitoring.
10:39Any problem in management or in the structure itself
10:44can have a direct effect on the area's downstream.
10:47And in a situation where coordination is not always easy,
10:52managing the entire system becomes even more complicated.
10:57Oroville Dam
10:59United States, in California,
11:02on the Feather River,
11:03stands the Oroville Dam,
11:05the tallest dam in the United States,
11:08reaching a height of 235 meters.
11:11Its reservoir forms Lake Oroville
11:13and supplies water to millions of people.
11:16The dam is also important for flood control
11:20in various parts of California.
11:22In February 2017,
11:24the situation suddenly changed.
11:27After several days of heavy rain,
11:29the water level in the reservoir rose significantly,
11:33so a huge amount of water had to be released
11:36through the main spillway.
11:38After a few days,
11:40the concrete part of it started to erode
11:42and a huge hole formed on the surface.
11:45The flow of water had to be diverted
11:48to the emergency spillway,
11:50a structure that had hardly been used since it was built.
11:53The water quickly began to erode the hillside
11:57around the auxiliary spillway.
11:59Due to the possibility that that section
12:02could completely collapse,
12:04a massive evacuation was carried out
12:07for more than 180,000 people
12:10living in the areas downstream of the dam.
12:14Within a few hours,
12:16the entire system was operating near its limit
12:18as authorities rushed to lower the water level
12:21in the reservoir.
12:23After the incident,
12:25the dam was repaired and reinforced.
12:28But this incident showed
12:29that even modern infrastructure
12:32can still encounter problems
12:34when faced with extreme conditions.
12:38Three Gorges Dam, China.
12:41In the middle part of the Yangtze River,
12:42you will find the Three Gorges Dam,
12:45the largest hydroelectric power plant
12:47in the world.
12:48Its structure stretches for more than 2 kilometers
12:51and holds back the water
12:52in a massive reservoir
12:54that extends for more than 600 kilometers in length.
12:57The enormous amount of water collected here
13:00and the energy it produces
13:02show the scale of this project,
13:05which is hard to compare
13:06to any other dam in the world.
13:08The Yangtze River has significant changes
13:10in its flow depending on the season.
13:13During the rainy season,
13:15the amount of water rises quickly
13:17and the enormous volume must be managed
13:20within a short period of time.
13:22The massive scale of the project
13:24also had an impact on the environment.
13:27The weight of the accumulated water
13:29affected the stability of some surrounding slopes.
13:32There have been recorded landslides
13:34since the dam began operating.
13:36In addition,
13:37millions of people live in areas
13:39along the lower reaches of the river,
13:41including densely populated cities
13:44that are directly connected
13:45to the flow of the Yangtze.
13:47Any problem with controlling
13:49the flow of water
13:50or with the structural integrity
13:51could affect one of the most
13:53densely populated regions in the world.
13:55Here,
13:56we're not just talking about
13:57an ordinary dam.
13:59This is a massive system
14:01that controls the flow
14:02of one of the most important rivers in Asia.
14:06The Yangtze Dam, Italy.
14:07In northern Italy,
14:10in a narrow valley in the Alps,
14:11you can find the Benon Dam
14:13one of the most ambitious
14:14engineering projects of its time.
14:16It stands over 260 meters tall.
14:20The design of this curved dam
14:22was made to take advantage
14:24of the shape of the valley
14:25and withstand the immense pressure
14:27of the water.
14:29While it was being built,
14:31there was no clear sign
14:32that the main problem
14:33would not come from the structure
14:35of the dam itself.
14:36In October 1863,
14:41an entire section
14:42of the slope of Mount Tok collapsed
14:44and fell into the reservoir.
14:46More than 250 million cubic meters
14:50of rock and soil
14:51suddenly fell into the water.
14:53Because of this,
14:54a massive wave was formed
14:56that went over the dam.
14:57Even though the dam itself
14:59was not destroyed,
15:00the damage caused
15:01by the overflowing water
15:03was immense
15:03and the dam wall itself
15:05remained almost intact.
15:07But the force of the water
15:08swept away almost everything
15:10in its path
15:11in the valley below.
15:12Within just a few minutes,
15:14places like Longarone
15:15were completely destroyed.
15:17Almost 2,000 people
15:18and four villages were lost.
15:20This isn't the usual
15:22kind of structural failure
15:23we think of.
15:24The dam did exactly
15:26what it was designed to do.
15:28But the environment
15:29where it was built
15:30was not properly assessed
15:32and understood.
15:34All over the world,
15:36these structures hold back
15:37one of the hardest forces
15:39to control on Earth.
15:41Behind each of these
15:42are millions of tons of water
15:44being held back,
15:46relying on precise calculations,
15:49strong materials,
15:50and decisions
15:51that must be made
15:53with extreme care.
15:55Some dams have already shown
15:56just how big the impact
15:58can be when something fails.
16:01Meanwhile,
16:02others continue to operate
16:03every day under tough conditions
16:05while controlling
16:07constantly changing water flows
16:09in environments
16:10that aren't always stable.
16:13This isn't just about engineering.
16:17Each dam depends on
16:19how it was built,
16:20where it was built,
16:21and how it is managed over time.
16:26When there is a problem
16:28with any of these factors,
16:29the margin of error
16:31can shrink or disappear.
16:32Are you familiar
16:33with any of the dams
16:34we've mentioned?
16:37Which of these
16:38do you find
16:38the most impressive?
16:39Comment below
16:40and I'll read your answers.
16:43And if you want
16:44to keep discovering
16:45the most amazing places
16:47and structures
16:48on our planet,
16:49subscribe to the channel
16:50so you won't miss
16:51our next videos.
16:53Until next time.