The collapse of a section of southwestern China’s Hongqi Bridge exposes unstable slopes, rushed geological surveys, and the hidden risks of rapid dam impoundment.
Hongqi Bridge collapse triggers alarm in seismic Sichuan
The lesson of Hongqi Grand Bridge
The partial collapse of a new bridge in China’s Sichuan province this week riveted a global audience with the spectacle of disaster. The greater drama is China’s breakneck hydropower expansion.
6.8M earthquake triggers lockdown criticism
As disaster strikes the southwest of China’s Chengdu capital, residents are left reeling from a fixation on pandemic restrictions in the midst of an emergency.
Sichuan power crunch sparks calls for rethink of coal in China’s energy mix
The hydropower hub calls into question the race for renewable energy.
Once again: Sichuan quake highlights dam risk
The 7.0-magnitude earthquake in southwest China’s Sichuan province earlier this month, and a devastating 2008 quake in the same province, are likely linked to the region’s dam-building program, says expert.
Solid as a rock
Ensuring public stability has become even more of a priority for President Xi Jinping in the sensitive lead-up time to the CPC Central Committee’s 19th Party Congress scheduled for later this year. Law enforcement and local officials must guard against potential threats as never before, including the threat of disaster. A 7.0-magnitude earthquake in southwest China’s Sichuan province earlier this month saw “earthquake rumours” added to the growing list of bans in recent weeks.
Is the latest earthquake in Yunnan Province dam related?
Another major earthquake has struck China’s Yunnan Province. Close to the epicenter of the earthquake are a number of hydropower dams. We asked Chinese geologist Fan Xiao: “Is there a link?”
On alert: RIS risk amid rash of earthquakes in China’s Sichuan-Yunnan region
(March 22, 2013) A new report, exclusive to Probe International, calls for urgent monitoring of China’s large dams in areas prone to seismic hazard. These areas may be at increased risk from dam reservoir-induced seismicity (RIS). Scientists have observed that reservoir impoundment may not only increase the risk of strong earthquakes, particularly in areas already vulnerable to high-intensity seismic activity, but may represent a more pronounced risk in the first few years after a dam is filled.
In Wenchuan, geological risks continue
Three years after the devastating 2008 Sichuan earthquake, geologist Yang Yong investigates the proliferation of hastily approved mining and industry projects putting the area at risk of further geological disasters.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Probe Media
Other News Sources
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