Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The earthquake damage isn't contained. It is questionable it will be.

...Earthquake dams present a dual danger. Apart from the upstream floods that occur as a lake builds behind the natural dam, the piles of rubble that form the dam may be unstable. Another quake or simply the pressure of water behind it could burst the dam, sending a wall of water downstream. Downstream floods may also occur when water begins to cascade over the top of the dam. Thousands of people were evacuated from Beichuan on May 17 when one such lake threatened to burst, said China Daily.


Residents from Qingchuan county are evacuated after warnings that a lake formed when the nearby Qingzhu River blocked by landslides could burst its banks. [Xinhua]


Water overflows from a lake formed after landslides blocked a river in Qingchuan county, Sichuan, yesterday. The natural overflow eased the threat of flooding. Xu Jingxing (click here)


CHENGDU: Twenty-one lakes have formed after landslides blocked rivers in Sichuan, but they "do not pose a serious danger at the moment", the vice-governor of the province said yesterday.
Expert teams have reached all the lakes to monitor the situation, Li Chengyun told a media briefing, adding that various water projects in the province are basically safe.
At least two water conservancy specialists, accompanied by at least 10 People's Liberation Army personnel, are monitoring each of the lakes.
"Preliminary monitoring stations have been set up near each lake," he said....
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