Posted on 08/20/2023 11:08:43 AM PDT by Vendome
Panama canal was build by the US engineers during the bast times of US engineering (before WW1).
The French tried originally, but failed miserably.
The problem was that canal is in malaria infested jungle with nonstop tropical rains and pretty long (like 80 miles) and high ridge separating the oceans.
Instead of digging through the isthmus as the French tried, the genial American solution was to use all that rain running into the construction. They build artificial lake, fed by the rains and series of locks raising and lowering the boats on their way. The lakes supplied by the rain water run water east and west, to both of the oceans. The locks were also using water to open and close so energy use was minimal.
Plus, they send scientists to exterminate (mostly) the malaria carrying mosquitoes first!
So no, canal is not supplied by the ocean, but by the rain water.
But - after the canal was transferred to Panama, it has been mismanaged. Among other mismanagement, Panama widened it and the number of ships increased, but the rains did not. So now the canal is running out of the water!
But of course, every government mismanagement problem is caused by global warming!
“....worst drought in 100 years.”
So what caused the bad drought 100 years ago?
All I can say is I hope they get the ships and crew out of there before Pharoah and his warriors in chariots catch up.
I’ve just read nearly 100 replies to this post.
I have learned that the average intelligence of Freepers must have dropped precipitously over the 20+ years I have been here.
Good grief! I thought it was common knowledge as to why there are locks on a canal.
I bet people will tell me I am wrong when I say that you must travel from west to east to go from the Atlantic to the Pacific via the Panama Canal.
Build a pipeline that will use ocean water.
It was not seen as necessary at the time the canal was built. It might be cheaper than a new canal. You could probably pump water from Gatun Lake more cheaply, assuming Gatun Lake has enough water to float the arriving ships. (You could dig channels through the lake, if it does not completely dry up.)
“Time to revive the Nicaragua Canal project.”
You mean the Chinese canal project?
Sure. Recall that in Panama we took over a failed French project and built the Panama Canal.
No reason not to use whatever the Chinese did and take it over.
???
I was playing around with the old palindrome "A man, a plan, a canal: Panama!" Since there is a drought in the middle of the canal, I put a drought in the middle of the palindrome, which of course required that I put thgourd (drought backwards) in as well.
The American engineers always said they doubted the ability of the rainfall to support a third set of locks.
So, the Chinese are at it again doing engineering which probably shouldn't be done and then everyone is paying the price?
One of the more famous French workers was Gauguin, who went to Panama long before his better-known trip to Tahiti. Like everyone else, he caught malaria, and ended up in the sanitarium on the nearby island of Taboga; the ruins of the sanitarium are still on the island.
Not 10 ft! That would be huge.
Only about 20 cm, a two thirds of a foot!
A good book on the stunned is a “path between the seas”. It talks about the two rivers that were dammed up to form gatun lake. How the Galliard cut was dug. Also how they managed the disease factor.
The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 https://a.co/d/j3YbsCd
Yes,
Chinese infrastructure projects seems always design badly.
See the disasters of the Belts and Roads initiative.
There is only a limited amount of water in Chagres River to feed the canal needs. They highly increased the need for this water, but did not increased supply a zilch.
For some??? reason, they do not have enough water since they made the enlargements?!
Guess what? They blame global warming! What an easy target to blame!
Every problem on the Earth is blamed on global warming!
I am sure, my digestive problems must be caused by it too!
I thought the sea levels were supposed to rise. {/S}.
Thanks. I grew up in Buffalo NY, and knew the lock system of the Welland Canal, around Niagara Falls. A different setup.
They are designed from the top down, without constraints of cost to benefits.
It is the old college dorm discussion problem. A project can look good with a simple map or back of the napkin calculation. Lots of assumptions without real measurement or analysis.
Once the project starts, it always has a life of its own, with multiple, concentrated, vested interests, and many, but diffuse detractors, who do not have the resources to influence the decisions (but they pay for them!).
To get good public policy, you need considerable expertise with the public good in mind and a strong dose of capitalist realism and cost control.
Better start digging that new ditch in Nicaragua...
Digging the Panama Canal?
Yes.
Most of the countries being “helped” are sold bill of goods with marginal profitability and huge costs!
They cannot ever pay these debts so they are indentured to China forever.
And many/most do not work at all as advertised or are having major structural flaws needing a lot of fixes.
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