Reservoir repairs given top priority
By Wang Qingchu |
August 24, 2011, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINA has vowed to eliminate safety hazards hidden in thousands of reservoirs which are in need of repairs as they have been operating beyond their service life and pose a threat to nearby villages.
With a total of 87,000 reservoirs - the most in the world, China has launched a massive nationwide repair project to remove potential safety concerns, the China Economic Weekly reported yesterday.
Most of the reservoirs were built in the 1950s-1970s. Due to low engineering techniques, more than 90 percent of the dams were made of earth and rock, which had a service life of around 50 years.
So far, around 40,000 reservoirs, half of the total, are in danger of collapsing because they were operating past their service life and a lack of funds has hampered their maintenance, the magazine said.
These reservoirs, like time bombs, are scattered in villages in less-developed central and western China. "They are fraught with risks. If they collapse, the water gushing out can sweep away homes, farmland, railways and even whole villages," Xu Yuanming, an official with the construction and management department of the Ministry of Water Resources, told the magazine.
China has poured 62 billion yuan (US$9.69 billion) to reinforce 7,356 reservoirs over the past three years, ensuring the safety of 144 million people living downstream and protecting nearly 11 million hectares of farmland and infrastructure from the threat of inundation, the ministry said earlier.
This year, the ministry launched a new round of national campaign to repair embankments of 41,000 small-sized reservoirs. According to the plan, the project would be finished by the end of 2015.
However, these ambitious projects have met with resistance in counties and villages due to a huge funding gap. Although the central government has set aside special funds for the projects, local governments still need to contribute their share, which is a heavy burden for those in impoverished regions.
Suixian County in Hubei has the most reservoirs in the central province. Around 800 million yuan is needed to fix 267 reservoirs. However, the county's annual fiscal revenue stood at a mere 30 million yuan to 40 million yuan.
Hubei has to come up with 4.4 billion yuan to fix 4,000-plus reservoirs. "Although we have tried many ways, we are still under a lot of pressure to pool together such a large amount of money," Yuan Junguang, an official with Hubei Department of Water Resources told the magazine.
A total of 3,515 reservoirs have collapsed, 99 percent of them small-sized ones, since 1954, when records started being kept.
The most devastating accident happened in 1975, when 10 reservoirs in central Henan Province burst their banks, leaving 26,000 people dead.
With a total of 87,000 reservoirs - the most in the world, China has launched a massive nationwide repair project to remove potential safety concerns, the China Economic Weekly reported yesterday.
Most of the reservoirs were built in the 1950s-1970s. Due to low engineering techniques, more than 90 percent of the dams were made of earth and rock, which had a service life of around 50 years.
So far, around 40,000 reservoirs, half of the total, are in danger of collapsing because they were operating past their service life and a lack of funds has hampered their maintenance, the magazine said.
These reservoirs, like time bombs, are scattered in villages in less-developed central and western China. "They are fraught with risks. If they collapse, the water gushing out can sweep away homes, farmland, railways and even whole villages," Xu Yuanming, an official with the construction and management department of the Ministry of Water Resources, told the magazine.
China has poured 62 billion yuan (US$9.69 billion) to reinforce 7,356 reservoirs over the past three years, ensuring the safety of 144 million people living downstream and protecting nearly 11 million hectares of farmland and infrastructure from the threat of inundation, the ministry said earlier.
This year, the ministry launched a new round of national campaign to repair embankments of 41,000 small-sized reservoirs. According to the plan, the project would be finished by the end of 2015.
However, these ambitious projects have met with resistance in counties and villages due to a huge funding gap. Although the central government has set aside special funds for the projects, local governments still need to contribute their share, which is a heavy burden for those in impoverished regions.
Suixian County in Hubei has the most reservoirs in the central province. Around 800 million yuan is needed to fix 267 reservoirs. However, the county's annual fiscal revenue stood at a mere 30 million yuan to 40 million yuan.
Hubei has to come up with 4.4 billion yuan to fix 4,000-plus reservoirs. "Although we have tried many ways, we are still under a lot of pressure to pool together such a large amount of money," Yuan Junguang, an official with Hubei Department of Water Resources told the magazine.
A total of 3,515 reservoirs have collapsed, 99 percent of them small-sized ones, since 1954, when records started being kept.
The most devastating accident happened in 1975, when 10 reservoirs in central Henan Province burst their banks, leaving 26,000 people dead.
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