The border wall between the U.S. and Mexico was a dream project of former president Donald Trump. He wanted to have a virtually impenetrable boundary wall that would deter elements like smugglers, illegal immigrants, etcetera. Plenty of work went into its design, with prototypes built.

These underwent rigorous testing. However, the wall has not been able to withstand the power of wind, rain and man-made power tools. The recent summertime monsoons damaged portions of the wall in Arizona. It is near the San Bernardino National Wildlife Reserve, which is home to wildlife.

A wall at this place is an obstacle to the smooth movement of wildlife between the U.S. .and Mexico. This aspect was probably not considered. Anyway, the climatic disorders damaged the floodgates.

Daily Mail U.K. says the area faced more than two inches of rain that flooded the region with debris. These included large trees. It seems the construction could not withstand the rising water level. The National Weather Service confirmed 2.5 inches of rain in the area on Aug. 17. An official of the Customs and Border Protection indicated to a section of the media about opening the floodgates. The border wall destroyed burial sites of Native Americans and wildlife habitats.

Only three miles of a border wall built during the tenure of Trump

During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump had his focus on the border wall. He wanted the border wall at any cost, and during his tenure, only three miles of the primary wall came up. These were in places where there was no barrier—the other portions of the wall that came up involved replacing the old wall.

Because of the flood damage, there are doubts in certain quarters about the quality of the work.

The floodgates intend to prevent the accumulation of boulders, branches and other debris during heavy rains. Therefore, the opening of the gates depends on the prediction of major rainfall. The government agency will assess the extent of damages and draw up its repair plans.

In September 2019, there was a diversion of funds from military projects to raise 3 billion for the border wall.

The much-hyped border wall washed away in its first summer

Those in the know say it is common to have heavy rains in the monsoon season. A situation of this nature was waiting to happen. In some peoples opinion, the construction of this wall had all the ingredients of an ill-advised and ill-conceived project. As a result, rains damaged the wall, and it could not survive its first summer.

Last year, strong winds blew away a portion of the border wall, and it fell on the Mexican side. It seems there have been instances of the same style of barrier washed away by weather events. Smugglers from Mexico breached the wall in 2019.

They cut through the wall and used common tools. That is how they went ahead with activities. Later the CBP augmented its security in areas that were prone to smuggling.

Critics claim the border wall violated environmental and cultural protection laws

According to Metro U.K., the US-Mexico border wall sidelined environmental and cultural protection laws and work was undertaken in a hurry.

The wall suffered damages due to the monsoon rains that left mud and debris against the side of the structure. Large portions of Arizona faced a severe drought this year. However, the place where the wildlife refuge is located was an exception. It saw record-breaking amounts of rain last week.

Donald Trump said Mexico would pay for making the wall, but that did not materialize, and he resorted to diversion of funds from other federal projects. He went to the extent of declaring a national emergency. In January, he made one final trip to see the border wall. Right now, the fate of the wall is uncertain. President Joe Biden, on assuming office, gave orders to suspend all construction work on the border wall.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED