Swollen reservoir at risk

Source: Xinhua | July 12, 2010, Monday |

Print Edition

THE local government in Qinghai Province has evacuated thousands of people from homes near an overfilled, leaking reservoir.

The Wenquan reservoir in the northwestern province is holding more than three times its safe capacity - 230 million cubic meters of water, although designed for a maximum of 70 million.

If it bursts, the city of Golmud, around 130 kilometers away and home to more than 200,000 people, could be flooded with water up to four meters deep in some areas. More than 9,000 people in immediate danger have already been evacuated.

Power and water plants are at risk, and the high-altitude railway to Tibet, some 40 kilometers away, could also be affected, the local government said.

The reservoir has been badly maintained because the area is usually prone to drought.

Water levels are still rising because of snowmelt in nearby mountain, and heavy rains are forecast.

Nation

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Swollen reservoir at risk

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