Faulty design and inability to stand the onslaught of torrential rains may be the reasons for the collapse of the small earthen dam on the Shadi Kor near the coastal town of Pasni in Baluchistan province of southwest Pakistan on Feb. 10. At least 135 died and up to 1,500 were missing as the dam burst over several coastal towns. A second Baluchistan dam ruptured Feb. 14, killing seven people.
Sources said that the dam was designed by the provincial government to meet the irrigation needs of local farmers. "I think this dam will need to be redesigned. But I really cannot say anything for certain till I get all the facts. I am expecting detailed information in a day or two," Jahangir Akhtar, vice president, Geotechnical division in Pakistan's ministry of water and power told ENR.