Thread: Dams on China's Yellow River near collapse

Dams on China's Yellow River near collapse
19/06/2009

Several dams on China's mighty Yellow River are close to collapse just a few years after they were built amid concerns that over 40 percent of the nation's reservoirs are unsafe, state media has said.


A boat passes along the Pengxi River near the Three Gorges Dam in southwest China. Several dams on China's mighty Yellow River are close to collapse just a few years after they were built amid concerns that over 40 percent of the nation's reservoirs are unsafe, state media has said.

Shoddy construction, unqualified workers and embezzlement of funds are threatening dams' safety in the northwestern province of Gansu, the official China Daily said -- a situation that could also put people in danger.

"Several dams on branches of the Yellow River in Gansu province are near collapse only one or two years after their construction," the paper said.

Citing an investigation by the state-run China Youth Daily newspaper, the report pointed to one dam built in 2006 in Huan county on the Yellow River that has developed a dangerous breach in the middle.

Locals were quoted as saying that at least five newly built dams in the area were in very poor condition.

An official at the county's water protection bureau, who refused to be named, told AFP the matter was being investigated by the government, but refused to provide any more details.

But the dire situation is not only limited to Gansu. More than 40 percent of reservoirs in China -- or 37,000 -- are in potential danger of being breached, according to the report.

Of these, about 3,640 dams are currently being reinforced, and another 7,600 are in need of immediate attention.

In the 10 years to 2008, a total of 59 dams were breached in China due to torrential rain and quality defects, the report said. It did not give a casualty figure for these incidents.

Environmentalists and rights groups have long warned of the negative impact of dams, citing ecological damage and the forced relocation of residents.

bangkokpost.com

and yet another example of Asia's ignorance of the value of human life .

.

What can you expect? It's that incredible "made in china" quality. Why should dams be any different than any of the other crap they make. At least they cannot export dams thereby endangering people who have never been to China.

Well said - had just about the same scenario on a copper mine in Peru !

we can only all hope those dams will break off, at least that ecological monstrosity will be gone

Originally Posted by BobR

What can you expect? It's that incredible "made in china" quality. Why should dams be any different than any of the other crap they make. At least they cannot export dams thereby endangering people who have never been to China.

My sentiments exactly. Follows on from DD's thread about the dying dolphins in the Mekong caused by Chink damning damming 'up river'. Feel sorry for the poor prol sods there but embargo on this selfish nation is called for IMO.

Not PC is it, but I won't begrudge paying a bit more to avoid buying Chinese sub-standard crap.

Read something about China's so-called Master Dam Designer & the design faults he was making - several years ago.

China, of course, knew better.

To suggest that China cares less about life than any other civilisation is quite whimsical....

Originally Posted by pompeybloke

Originally Posted by BobR

What can you expect? It's that incredible "made in china" quality. Why should dams be any different than any of the other crap they make. At least they cannot export dams thereby endangering people who have never been to China.

My sentiments exactly. Follows on from DD's thread about the dying dolphins in the Mekong caused by Chink damning damming 'up river'. Feel sorry for the poor prol sods there but embargo on this selfish nation is called for IMO.

Not PC is it, but I won't begrudge paying a bit more to avoid buying Chinese sub-standard crap.

Don't look now, but they basically own us to the point of no return. You're probably correct towards your foundations of protest. Don't care for the way that they do business - don't do business with them. Live your protest.

Originally Posted by Rural Surin

Originally Posted by pompeybloke

Originally Posted by BobR

What can you expect? It's that incredible "made in china" quality. Why should dams be any different than any of the other crap they make. At least they cannot export dams thereby endangering people who have never been to China.

My sentiments exactly. Follows on from DD's thread about the dying dolphins in the Mekong caused by Chink damning damming 'up river'. Feel sorry for the poor prol sods there but embargo on this selfish nation is called for IMO.

Not PC is it, but I won't begrudge paying a bit more to avoid buying Chinese sub-standard crap.

Don't look now, but they basically own us to the point of no return. You're probably correct towards your foundations of protest. Don't care for the way that they do business - don't do business with them. Live your protest.

I try not to, it's been a long hard lesson and I've had to be reminded by making a mistake many times along the way. It takes real personal discipline to walk past the cheap stuff and pay twice as much for intrinsic quality, but in the long run it's worth it. The only Chinese stuff I will buy anymore is that which is made by Japanese firms in China, like Sony. They seem to get reasonable quality building things there, but the no name stuff falls apart as soon as you get it home. Unfortunately, it's often difficult to find good quality items in Thailand.

Originally Posted by Rural Surin

Don't look now, but they basically own us to the point of no return. You're probably correct towards your foundations of protest. Don't care for the way that they do business - don't do business with them. Live your protest.

Speak for yourself. They don't own me. As for their value on life, ask the Chinese miner's widows...Still, just the lower classes and there are 3 billion to play with so a decent gamble. Chinks do like a punt, don't they. Mad gamblers, but little awareness of anything humane.

My brother and his wife have two lovely girls about 7 and 9 years old, which they adopted from China. Because of the government's 1 child policy, girls are essentially "throw aways" there. The immorality of a government telling people how many children they can have is only matched by the immorality and hypocrisy of our western countries doing business with them.

Originally Posted by BobR

My brother and his wife have two lovely girls about 7 and 9 years old, which they adopted from China. Because of the government's 1 child policy, girls are essentially "throw aways" there. The immorality of a government telling people how many children they can have is only matched by the immorality and hypocrisy of our western countries doing business with them.

Business and corporations don't find the world as a moralistic and ethical model.

Originally Posted by BobR

It takes real personal discipline to walk past the cheap stuff and pay twice as much for intrinsic quality, but in the long run it's worth it. The only Chinese stuff I will buy anymore is that which is made by Japanese firms in China, like Sony. They seem to get reasonable quality building things there, but the no name stuff falls apart as soon as you get it home. Unfortunately, it's often difficult to find good quality items in Thailand.

I wouldn't totally agree with that

china does produce good gear and not just the western brand name stuff

if you buy the cheapest you will get the sh1te , but you can still get a good product for a good price that is less than the western badged gear.

I had to organise buying industrial quality tech gear and it was available at good quality but you had to ride the purchasing scum who always wanted to buy from a factory owned by a brothers uncles ,mia noi,s , gay brother at a cheap price with kickbacks.

Several dams on China's mighty Yellow River are close to collapse just a few years after they were built amid concerns that over 40 percent of the nation's reservoirs are unsafe, state media has said.


A boat passes along the Pengxi River near the Three Gorges Dam in southwest China. Several dams on China's mighty Yellow River are close to collapse just a few years after they were built amid concerns that over 40 percent of the nation's reservoirs are unsafe, state media has said.

F for geography. The 3 Gorges dam is on the Yangtze not the Yellow River.

^

media trick , had to tie the photo in somehow .

Originally Posted by BobR

My brother and his wife have two lovely girls about 7 and 9 years old, which they adopted from China. Because of the government's 1 child policy, girls are essentially "throw aways" there. The immorality of a government telling people how many children they can have is only matched by the immorality and hypocrisy of our western countries doing business with them.

The Chinese government telling ppl howmany children to have was a choice between 2 evils. China has a history full of famins on an enormous scale. If your nations economic growth does not keep up with your nations populations growth, somthing has got to give. So hard call to make.. I will not judge them for that.

But i will call the Chinese government immoral for the support of that North Korean nutcase, the annexation of Tibet and Tiananmen Square.

Originally Posted by BobR

The immorality of a government telling people how many children they can have is only matched by the immorality and hypocrisy of our western countries doing business with them.

O, and BobR, i fully agree with you on that last bit..
The Dalai Lama visted the netherlands recently. Our PM would not receive him so as not to upset the Chinese and lose business..

Pathetic..

Excuse me i have to piss on my flag now..

Originally Posted by woodenshoe

The Chinese government telling ppl howmany children to have was a choice between 2 evils. China has a history full of famins on an enormous scale. If your nations economic growth does not keep up with your nations populations growth, somthing has got to give. So hard call to make.. I will not judge them for that.

But i will call the Chinese government immoral for the support of that North Korean nutcase, the annexation of Tibet and Tiananmen Square.

Wiping out through famine around 30 million people with the "back to the land" agrarian policy of Mao, during the rather ironically-titled "Great Leap Forwards" *chortle* was one famine that was totally man-made.
It was such a stunning success that the Cambodians repeated it a few years later.
If you've ever worked in China, you come to understand that there is'nt a great deal that these people can't f#ck up.