Yes, this is a picture of a dam (partially) exploding.
An explosion has rocked the newly opened Santo Antônio Dam on Brazil’s Madeira River in the Amazon basin. Reports conflict, but it appears that a breaker box and/or a turbine have exploded, injuring several workers and perhaps even killing one of them. Santo Antônio Energia, which operates the dam, has sealed it off to “investigate” the incident, and is not allowing journalists access.
While anything from an electrical malfunction to an act of human sabotage may turn out be responsible for this explosion, Zachary Hurwitz of International Rivers hypothesizes that the river itself may be behind it:
“Dams built on such brown, murky rivers accumulate sediment very quickly in their reservoirs, creating troublesome water quality impacts. Nutrient loading can produce Hydrogen Sulfide.”
Hydrogen sulfide is toxic, corrosive, highly flammable and potentially explosive.
I guess just like the rest of us, rivers want to be free.
