Extreme water inflow from prolonged rainfall and flooding is one of the leading causes of dam failures. Although most dams are designed to survive extreme weather conditions, prolonged seasons of rain and flooding often put pressure on the dam and may cause the structure to collapse.

What are the main causes of failure of dam?

• Overtopping caused by water spilling over the top of a dam. …
• Foundation Defects, including settlement and slope instability, cause about 30% of all dam failures. …
• Cracking caused by movements like the natural settling of a dam.
• Inadequate maintenance and upkeep.

How can we prevent dam failure?

Actions such as using sandbags to increase freeboard and prevent overtopping, using riprap to prevent erosion to the dam structure, or applying a geotextile filter fabric to combat piping are all examples of emergency intervention techniques that can be used to try to save a dam from a total failure.