(February 25, 2011) The Chinese government is going to undertake extensive nation-wide reservoir repairs amidst flooding concerns.
An Inconvenient Truth: China Uses Global Warming to Justify Controversial Nu River Dams Project
(February 3, 2011) The Government of China is using international pressure to reduce carbon emissions as a pretense to build a series of controversial power stations on the pristine Nu River—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—despite opposition from environmentalists and human rights advocates.
Building Jinanqiao Dam
(November 29, 2010) Yong-Wen Hong and Cheng-Bin Du present details on the design and construction of the Jinanqiao RCC gravity dam, a 160m high structure located in China’s Yunnan Province, in a region of high seismicity.
Effect of the Zipingpu reservoir impoundment on the occurrence of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake and local seismicity
(October 2010) The occurrence of the 2008 May 12 Wenchuan earthquake (M 7.9) near the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau triggered a debate whether it was influenced by the newly impounded Zipingpu reservoir, located only about 21 km east of the earthquake epicentre.
China to draw natural disaster “risk map” to assist future urban planning
(September 23, 2010) Chinese authorities are drawing up a national natural disaster “risk map” in a bid to improve planning of urban construction projects in western China to avoid potential catastrophes.
Dam safety and earthquake
(September 20 2010) IWP&DC presents a position paper of the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD), prepared by the Committee on Seismic Aspects of Dam Design.
Dam safety and earthquakes
(August 1, 2010) IWP&DC presents a position paper of the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD), prepared by the Committee on Seismic Aspects of Dam Design.
Disaster Politics
(July 15, 2010) It is tempting to suggest that a country’s ability to prepare for disasters is a matter of money. But although wealth certainly matters, politics are more important.
Evidence for surface loading as trigger mechanism of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake
(July 14, 2010) Abstract: Two and a half years prior to China’s M7.9 Wenchuan earthquake of May 2008, at least 300 million metric tons of water accumulated with additional seasonal water level changes in the Minjiang River Valley at the eastern margin of the Longmen Shan. This article shows that static surface loading in the valley induced Coulomb failure stresses on the nearby Beichuan thrust fault system at <17km depth.
9,000 people evacuated from northwest China city near risky reservoir
(July 11, 2010) More than 9,000 people have been evacuated Sunday from Golmud City in northwest China’s Qinghai Province as water level continued to rise in a nearby risky reservoir, the municipal authorities said.
Chinese state media blames the gods for deadly landslide: Chinese geologist says dam construction was the likely trigger
(June 20, 2010) Fan Xiao, Chief engineer of the Regional Geology Investigation Team of the Sichuan Geology and Mineral Bureau, says dams were the real trigger of a massive landslide in Kangding County in China’s southwestern Sichuan province.
Huang Wanli’s predictions for the Three Gorges come to pass
(June 12, 2010) Huang Wanli, renowned hydraulics engineer and Tsinghua University lecturer, first voiced his opposition to the large-scale damming of rivers by opposing the construction of the Sanmenxia dam in 1957. In the 1980s he became a vocal opponent of the Three Gorges project and contributed to Yangtze! Yangtze!, the important critique of the dam compiled by China’s celebrated investigative journalist, Dai Qing. Now, as the Three Gorges dam is beset by monumental operational problems, Huang Wanli’s prescient analysis helps explain why it was a mistake to build the biggest dam in the world. Read his 1993 interview with Dai Qing.
Landslides and seismic activity rock Three Gorges reservoir
(June 1, 2010) As the rainy season arrives and the Three Gorges reservoir is lowered, the controversial project is once again making headlines. This time, it’s because of the increasing number of landslides and seismic activity occurring along the 410-mile long reservoir.
‘Grim situation’ at Three Gorges Dam, Chinese officials warn
(May 24, 2010) With extraordinary candour, Chinese officials are warning that severe rainstorms and gales this month will make efforts to prevent landslides in the Three Gorges dam area “formidable.”
Dams damaged in Yushu earthquake
(May 22, 2010) The April 13, 2010 Yushu earthquake damaged three dams on the Batang River, putting one at risk of collapse.
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