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Category Archives: Dams and Landslides
The problem with environmental impact assessments – continued
(June 3, 2013) News that an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for China’s tallest dam was approved last month by the Ministry of Environmental Protection is a signal that developers and politicians in China understand well the green-washing power of EIAs to move forward destructive projects. Continue reading →
The landslide story
(May 22, 2013) Chinese experts in landslide and geohazard protection fear debris flows, triggered by an epic 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province, may pose a threat to the region for two decades. A tremendous amount of loose material from the landslides is suspended on hillslopes, ready to be washed away by rain. The potential for ongoing landslides and secondary hazards, such as flooding and blocked rivers, they argue, warrants further investigation. Continue reading →
Are dams triggering China’s earthquakes?
(April 29, 2013) Understanding the forces behind China’s magnitude-7 earthquake in Sichuan Province more than a week ago should sound warning bells. Patricia Adams digs deep into the country’s recent rash of earthquakes in southwestern China and finds the region’s seismic risk is increasingly man-made. Continue reading →
Posted in China Energy Industry, China's Dams, Dams and Earthquakes, Dams and Landslides, Probe International in the News, RIS, Three Gorges Probe, Zipingpu
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Tagged China Economy, China politics, China protests, Dams, Lushan, natural disasters, Patricia Adams, reservoir-induced seismicity, RIS, Sichuan quake, wenchuan, Zipingpu
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Aftershocks from Sichuan earthquake pose threat of secondary disasters
(April 22, 2013) Shockwaves from Saturday’s magnitude-7 earthquake in Sichuan have placed the region on high alert for secondary disasters from landslides and the potential collapse of 54 earthquake-damaged dams, reports South China Morning Post. The coming rains will promote mudslides and threaten the structural integrity of these dams, geologists warn. Already, a state-of-emergency has been declared for five dams and downstream populations have been evacuated. More than 3,000 hydropower engineers and military personnel are now examining every dam in the region but many areas are still inaccessible. Nine nuclear facilities in Sichuan felt shockwaves too, but have not reported any leaking pipes or ruined buildings. As of Sunday night, the region had experienced 1,642 aftershocks. Continue reading →
Chinese media investigates dam link to latest earthquake
(April 22, 2013) China’s “First Financial Daily” investigates the hazards of reservoir-induced seismicity in the wake of the magnitude-7 Lushan earthquake. Continue reading →
Member of the National Committee of CPPCC urges hydro development on the Nu River
(March 4, 2013) In a throwback to Maoist propaganda, a member of China’s National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference has promised that building a rash of dams on China’s Nu River will cure all ills, and bring harmonious development, and leap-forward development to boot. In reality, scientists worry that the dams will trigger earthquakes and landslides and be unable to operate at full capacity for lack of water. Downstream countries are also worried about the loss of natural river flow on which their economies depend. Continue reading →
Posted in China's Dams, Chinese Environmentalists, Dams and Earthquakes, Dams and Landslides
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Tagged 12th Five-Year Plan for energy development, 12th Five-Year Plan for hydropower development, 12th Five-Year Plan for renewable energy development, Dams, National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Nu River, Weixiang Feng
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China moves to dam the Nu, ignoring seismic, ecological, and social risks
(January 25, 2013) Environmental NGO International Rivers reports on Beijing’s move to lift a moratorium on damming China’s Nu River despite “well-documented seismic hazards, ecological and social risks”. Continue reading →
Nu River faces fresh threat
(January 25, 2013) A revival of plans by Beijing to embrace mega dams and the mega risks associated with them has left Chinese environmentalists reeling. Continue reading →
Posted in China's Dams, Dams and Earthquakes, Dams and Landslides, RIS, Zipingpu
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Tagged dam fever, disaster potential, geological instability, Nu River, seismic hazard
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