The document describes a catastrophic dam failure that occurred in 1959 in Malpasset, France. On December 2nd, the dam's arch burst and released a 40-meter high wall of water down the narrow valley at 70 km/h, destroying everything in its path and claiming over 423 lives. Although the dam's design was sound, it was found to be a geological fault that caused the failure, not a design flaw. The disaster prompted engineers worldwide to re-evaluate dam safety and led to improved drainage and monitoring of rock structures to prevent water buildup and pressure. It remains the worst civil engineering disaster of the 20th century but has significantly enhanced dam safety standards.

1. and faults
then on december 2nd 1959
the damn burst
at around 9 pm a 40 meter highway rushed
into the narrow valley
at a speed of 70 kilometers an hour
sweeping away everything in its path
breaking on frasier's 20 minutes later
before flowing into the sea
the damage was catastrophic claiming
more than 423 victims
france was in shock andre coyne took
full responsibility for the tragedy
when everything was checked there was
not a single miscalculation
in fact the arch was well designed it
wasn't a design fault it was a
geological fault
the malpass tragedy prompted a rethink
with engineers
all over the world they realized they
didn't understand what was happening
in the rock something we have learned is
that the rock
must be allowed to drain by drilling
into it and tunneling to ensure there's
no build up of pressure
inside the rock much of what we know
about drainage and rock mechanics
stems from alpacity but that doesn't
mean it wasn't a dreadful
tragedy
the biggest civil engineering disaster
of the 20th century has significantly
improved the safety of dams
all are now equipped with drainage
systems
with ever large constructions being
erected security is an essential element
and the energy potential is immense
[Music]
water is an asset widely exploited in
south america particularly in paraguay
which is one of the few countries in the
world
that is 100 hydroelectric
frederick vestano went to this small
state sandwich between argentina bolivia
and brazil
although landlocked the country is
crossed by one of the largest rivers in
latin america
the parana river which forms a natural
border between brazil and paraguay
driven by several waterfalls such as
celtus del monde
it drains an immense volume of water
with unparalleled power
a few kilometers away this resource has
allowed paraguay and brazil to jointly
build the bi-national
itaipudam