“Smart” is not the adjective that applies to ANY of the parties that put this dam in place. “Expedient” is more in order.
Supposedly a flood control device and water-retention reservoir for agricultural purposes, it was put up with an eye to economy on the short term, not as a monument to engineering skill and capabilities. Apparently this is a relatively high-maintenance design, only meant as a temporary measure while a REAL dam was to be build downstream, one that would provide much more water retention, and be fully adequate to provide a considerable measure of hydroelectric power to the existing grid in Iraq.
It may all be a moot point anyway, if the Islamic Caliphate blows the dam, a highly likely outcome. Think of the flood downstream in Baghdad, and the untold mischief to agricultural production in the short term, and the overall impact on the viability and makeup of the current government now nominally in charge of that legal fiction known as “Iraq”.
From what I read about the dam, all they have to do is NOTHING. Quit plugging the holes 24/7 and it will collapse by itself.