Officials in China are attempting to inspect and repair damage to hydropower facilities in the wake of last Monday’s earthquake, fearing flooding of already devastated communities.
Nearly 400 dams are thought to have been damaged by the earthquake, which measured 7.9 on the Richter scale when it hit Sichuan Province on May 12. The death toll in the region is now thought likely to hit 70 000 and some 4 million homes have been affected.
China’s National Development Reform Commission says that the earthquake has damaged 391 dams in the region, including two large and 28 medium-sized ones. The China News Service has reported that 17 dams are either cracked or leaking water.
The State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) has activated the highest possible emergency response level to the disaster in order to restore electricity supplies.
One of the worst-affected structures is thought to be the Zipingpu dam, which lies on the Min River close to the quake’s epicentre and 10 km upstream of the city of Dujiangyan. Local media reports indicated serious cracks in the 156 m-high dam structure and the collapse of the powerhouse, although the government has declared the dam safe. Nonetheless the Ministry of Water Resources called for the urgent protection of the Zipingpu reservoir, saying that Dujiangyan, which has about 600 000 residents and lies 50 km from the earthquake’s epicentre would be swamped if the dam failed.
Environmental group International Rivers has called on the authorities to thoroughly inspect the Zipingpu dam and to repair any damage as soon as possible. It also says that the government should review the operation of the dam “in light of its proven vulnerability to seismic damage”.
International Rivers opposed construction of the Zipingpu plant, which was commissioned in 2006, because of seismic risk. It says that seismologists from China’s Earthquake Bureau warned the government in 2000 that the project should not be built due to its proximity to a major fault line.
It is also concerned about many other hydropower plants in China’s earthquake-prone southwest. Most rivers in the region are dammed to provide power and regulate seasonal flooding in Sichuan’s fertile plains.
Some 2000 army personnel are carrying out emergency repairs at the Zipingpu dam while the Ministry of Water Resources has ordered the discharge of water from the reservoir to ease pressure on the dam wall. Subsequently a further 30 000 troops were reported mobilised to help with the general relief effort.
There are also concerns over a number of smaller dams in Wenchuan County, where the epicentre of the earthquake lies.
SERC says that the quake disrupted electricity supplies in central and northwest regions. Power supplies were restored to most areas outside Sichuan by May 15.
Oil companies PetroChina and Sinopec have mobilized fuel supplies to Sichuan to assist relief work.
The Chinese government has announced today, Monday 19th, the start of a three day national period of mourning for the estimated 32 000 people already confirmed lost to the earthquake.
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