17 March 2012

Accused in a corner but choice was theirs

Wivenhoe Dam during the 2011 flood.

AT some point soon after the devastating floods of January last year, the engineers who operated Wivenhoe Dam faced a choice. They could own up. Or they could cover up.

Owning up to a breach of the manual - effectively, admitting to an operation of the dam that did not follow the strict written procedure - would have opened the door to a wave of recrimination.


17.3.12