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Toten Dam
Introduction
In order for a given project to be successful and achieve its fundamental goals of enhancing sustainable living, it needs to mainstream the needs of the society in decision making. In particular, it needs to respect the views and contributions of other individuals to this because likewise, these have an equal role to play in the same. This is because the give project equally affects their lives in various ways. By failing to uphold the important principle of respect, the bureau of Reclamation contravened the basic ethical values and adversely affected the lives of the public.
The Organization and People Involved
The collapse of the Toten Dam is attributed to the professional competencies that were exhibited by the Bureau of Reclamation. It culminated in massive losses of lives as well as property. This prompted an investigation in the causes of the collapse by a government and private body that revealed various technical inadequacies in the process of construction. The investigation by these two groups found the bureau guilty of not taking adequate cautionary measures to prevent the collapse of the dam.
Events and Dates
The dam collapsed in 1975 and this was reportedly caused by leakages and erosion. The bureau had experienced similar problems in 1965 although timely measures had been undertaken to counter this. One of the issues that were raised by the investigators was a conceived lack of inspection of the dam. Based on the information provided, it can be ascertained that indeed, the bureau failed to monitor the process accordingly.
Investigation and Additional Facts
With respect to investigation, it is worth acknowledging that various concerns had initially been raised by credible bodies such as the department of geology regarding the location of the dam. In addition, the bureau ascertained that the process of construction was indeed faced by various challenges related to the physical structures in that region. Considering the fact that it had not previously experienced such challenges, it would have been imperative for it to exercise caution. Besides taking extra measures to curb possible leaking, it could have monitored and inspected the condition of the dam more frequently. Possibly, this could have enabled it to identify possible problems related to the functioning of the same in a timely manner. It can also be posited that its response to leakage reports was slow, irrespective of the knowledge that the conditions surrounding the construction of the dam were uncertain.
Ethical Considerations
From an ethical perspective, it can be argued that the bureau failed dismally to uphold relevant ethical measures in order to prevent the collapse of the dam. According to the National Society of Professional Engineers, engineers are responsible for upholding the natural rights of individuals. They are expected to enhance public safety, health and security by ensuring that their work is credible. Credibility in this regard is defined by their ability to conform strictly to the applicable standards. In this regard, the bureau contravened the right to life as through its negligence, fourteen human lives are lost. This was attributed to their failure to uphold the high professional standards with regard to expertise.
The ethical provisions also require the engineers to always factor in the interests of the public when making vita decisions. In this respect, it can be argued that the Bureau contravened this by failing to incorporate the concerns of the public and other credible bodies regarding the location of the dam. Notably, the implications of the subsequent collapse culminated in the contravention of the important principle of sustainable development.
Evaluation of the Case
The Reclamation bureau can be considered to be guilty of poor performance in the construction of Toten dam. From the reports presented by the investigating teams, it is certain that utmost attention was not accorded to the conditions surrounding the construction of the same. There are inherent errors that have been cited to have contributed to the collapse of the dam. This indicates that the expertise of these individuals is largely at stake. Of course errors often occur but the presence of numerous errors that had the capacity to undermine the functioning of the dam showed a significant level of incompetence. Effective and frequent monitoring could possibly have avoided the collapse of this.
Alternative Measures
Seemingly, various measures could have been undertaken to prevent the collapse of the dam. To begin with, the bureau could have employed more measures to avoid leaking and to prevent erosion accordingly. Further, it could have conducted monitoring and evaluation of this project more frequently. Alternatively, it could have heeded the caution presented by the geological department and abandoned the project altogether.
From the review, the collapse of Toten dam can be attributed to the failure of the bureau to put in to respect the various prepositions that were put forth by the public. This led to devastating effects as its implications threatened the holistic wellbeing of humanity. Indeed, the loss of lives and important livelihoods can be considered very detrimental.
